A Personal Matter
by Orodruin
Summary: Two missions with drastic consequences. Worlds connect, destinies unravel, and nothing will ever be the same. HPxNTO crossover like you've never seen! Set pre series Harry Potter and Kakashi Gaiden Naruto.
1. An Unusual Mission

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter... or any combination thereof.

Warning: This story is AR - Alternate Reality. This differs from AU in that it takes place in the canon universe, but I've twisted facts to change the realities of the universe... You'll figure it out as you read. I've only changed one minor (okay, not so minor) detail, and these are the dominos I expect would fall because of it.

Son of Warning: There are mild spoilers for Harry Potter; namely, the back story of Harry, Voldemort, and the prophecy regarding the two. There are also spoilers from Kakashi Gaiden, and minor spoilers from chapter 367 of the manga (that is, the name of the YF is revealed... if you haven't read it yet, you can pretend I just made up the name...)

The beginning isn't exactly a flashback, per say, but it takes place about 6-7 years before the main setting of the story. I haven't put it in italics... it's like... a story within the story. If you find yourself confused, let me know in a review and I'll change it so this back-story is in italics.

There are two "languages" in this story--English and whatever language Konoha uses. Unless otherwise specified, people are always speaking in the native language of whatever country they happen to be in. Simple.

This story is probably very different from any Harry Potter - Naruto crossover you've read before. I'm interested in hearing what you think about it, and I admit I only wrote it because everyone seems to work around the HP plot when writing crossovers, and end up completely messing with the Naruto one... why not mess with both? It'll be fun, trust me. (And now my Author's Note is way too long, so I'll just let you read.)

Chapter 1 – An Unusual Mission

It was another dreary November day, the heavy clouds overhead promising a night of freezing rain. The winds had picked up, crisp and cool in the already chilly autumn weather.

James Potter tried to ignore the wind and the clouds, concentrating on not looking as awkward as he felt compared to the self-assured man in front him. A particularly strong gust of wind knocked his glasses askew and the young man reached up to right them self-consciously.

"So, um… you know the details already, right?" He asked nervously. He was having second thoughts about this whole situation, but the deal had already been made and it was a little late to be getting cold feet. Besides, James Harold Potter didn't get cold feet.

The other man almost looked old with the long white hair he sported. But his skin, what little of it that could be seen around his eyes, was not wrinkled, and that combined with his stiff manner of standing and muscular build suggested he wasn't much older than the English man himself.

The white haired man nodded once, expression giving away nothing—what little of an expression could be made out around the mask covering the bottom half of his face.

James shuffled his feet slightly, what was already an awkward situation becoming even more awkward. "Look," he started, "It's really, _really_ important that she doesn't realize you're not me." He glanced the other man over dubiously, "Are you sure… you can do that?"

Magic could hide pretty much anything, James knew, but even if the other man _looked_ like him, it was more the behavior he was worried about. Even after having just met him five minutes ago, he could tell that they were as different as… well, as Lily and her sister, Petunia.

The white-haired man stared blankly at him in response, waiting just long enough to make the English man feel like an idiot for asking. Suddenly his hands were moving, flashing through strange signs faster than the younger man would have imagined he could move.

James coughed, waving a hand in front of his face as a cloud of dust was abruptly displaced into the air, hiding his opposite from view. As it settled he could only stare in surprise.

"Will this do?" The other man asked, a smug smirk appearing on his lips, all traces of the somber foreigner gone.

Hastily, James covered up his surprise—he was too old to be gaping at magic tricks he'd seen a dozen times before. It wasn't much more than a simple glamour, even if he hadn't used a wand to spell it.

"Er, yeah, that should do it," he agreed awkwardly. Shifting nervously, James glanced anxiously at the shadows of the park around them, he had a hard time bringing himself to meet the other man's eyes—now an all too familiar hazel rather than the black they'd been a moment ago. "Just…Please make sure she's safe."

The man opposite him raised an eyebrow, smirking, "I haven't failed a mission, yet." He boasted arrogantly, in such a good imitation of the younger man that it made him blush slightly, "Your wife will be safe with me, Potter-san."

James nodded jerkily, then noticed a shadow moving along the edge of the small forest on the other side of the park, "Well… Listen, I've got to go now…" He ran his fingers through his messy hair awkwardly, adjusting his glasses more out of habit than necessity, "Just… try to do what I would do, okay?"

The other man nodded again, face betraying none of the annoyance he felt at being told the same things over again. Reluctantly, James turned and ran off to join the shadow—it was weird, he already felt guilty about this and he hadn't even _technically_ done anything wrong yet!

The other man brushed an irritating strand of black hair from his eyes and turned as well, heading back to the road in the opposite direction.

It was dark by the time he arrived at the house, but his keen eyes were hardly hampered and he walked straight up to it, opening the door like he owned the place.

"Lily," he called out into the quiet house, "I'm home!"

There was a sound from another room as he removed his shoes at the door, and he looked up as a young woman with dark red hair stepped into the room. She smiled, crossing over to him.

"James," she greeted affectionately, embracing him and giving him a small kiss. It took a moment for the man to force himself to respond to the affectionate gesture. "Thank you… I know you wanted to go with them, but it's just that I have a really bad feeling about this mission."

"Anything for you, Lily," the man replied softly, forcing emotions he didn't feel into his words like it was natural and reflecting on the information he'd been given, "Moony and Padfoot can take care of themselves."

The woman smiled, "I know you don't really mean that," she said, "But, thanks, anyway."

* * *

Namikaze Minato could do very little other than stare at the Sandaime Hokage, valiantly trying to wrap his mind around a concept that seemed to have ripped apart the entirety of the universe at the seams, only to rearrange it in an odd jumble and tape it sloppily back together. Finally, he gave up.

"Excuse me… what?" The baffled Jounin asked.

The older man seated on the opposite side of the desk sighed, removing his large, red hat and setting it aside on top of his overdue paperwork. "As I said," he repeated, "The child's family was murdered in a sloppy assassination attempt, so keeping him there wasn't much of an option. After I heard his story, I agreed that he should come to live with Kakashi."

"Yes, but… how did this happen?" Minato couldn't help the incredulous tones that found their way into his voice—it was just that unbelievable.

Sarutobi smiled slightly in a patient, fatherly manner as he explained, "Sometimes things are required on missions that a shinobi would rather not do. When it came down to it, he really didn't have a choice."

Minato still couldn't believe it, "But… wouldn't they have known sooner? I mean… if it's really true…"

"It seems he looked ordinary as an infant," the Sandaime said, "The details aren't known, but it's suspected that his true appearance was hidden by Genjutsu when he was born. There was an incident, when he was one, and the Genjutsu was broken, however his change in appearance was believed to be a side-effect from the event, so no one suspected anything."

"This is… unbelievable," Minato commented, still overwhelmed by it all, "But… they're sure it's his?"

"Apparently so," the Hokage confirmed, "They used some sort of jutsu which reveals one's heritage, and the name of his father was revealed."

"… You're _sure_?" Minato pressed, "I mean, you said… it was only one night, right? What are the chances…"

The Hokage raised an eyebrow. "I have seen him myself," he commented dryly, "There can be no mistaking that chakra. The results of his blood test won't be in for several days, but that's really just a formality for the records."

"Wow…" Minato sighed, feeling tired—at least his universe was sorting itself out to look a little less like a first year Academy student's craft project by now.

"I'd like you to take Kakashi down to meet him today," the Sandaime continued, "He'll need clothing and such, everything of his was destroyed." Shuffling through some papers, the old man withdrew a small sheet of paper and held it across to him, "I asked the nurses to record his measurements when she gave him a physical earlier, so you can pick up some clothes for him right away. You'll be compensated for his needs, of course."

"Hai…" Minato agreed faintly, taking the paper more out of instinct than any conscious choice.

Sarutobi smiled slightly at the miffed look on the young man's face, "Please, Minato, this is hardly unheard of. Shinobi have children outside of the village often enough."

"Yeah, but this is a little different," Minato argued weakly, "I mean… it's _him_."

"I know what you mean," the Hokage agreed somberly. "Now," he started, adopting a professional manner, "You don't have any problems with this arrangement, do you? If need be, I can find someone else to…"

Minato shook his head, firmly getting a grip on himself. "It's not a problem for me," he said, "We shouldn't separate them just because of little things like that."

The Third nodded, pleased by his response, "Good. Now, I believe you're going to be late for your team if you don't leave now, Minato-san."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the young man confirmed formally before taking his leave—still trying to wrap his mind around the baffling concept he'd been presented with.

* * *

The thirteen-year-old raced through the trees. He had to be there on time, he just had to! He'd been late yesterday—they'd murder him if he was late again today! He pushed himself to go faster—his teammates really needed to lighten up a little, it was _just_ training! It wasn't like he'd been late for an important mission, or anything!

Finally he burst into the training field only to find everyone looking at him. He flushed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously and reaching up to adjust his goggles, "Am I late?"

For a tense moment no one spoke—even Kakashi didn't say anything. Then his sensei smiled down at him, "Actually, Obito, you're on time today."

The black-haired boy lit up immediately and clenched his fist, pumping it in victory, "Oh, yeah!"

"But," the man interrupted his celebrating with a vaguely amused expression, "I'm sorry to say that training has been canceled for today."

"What?!" Obito cried in disbelief, "The one day I'm on time and it's _canceled_?! Why?!"

"That's what we'd all like to know," Kakashi put in dryly, eyeing his teacher blankly, "How can we expect to grow stronger if you cancel training on us all the time, sensei?"

Grinning, the blond reached down to ruffle the younger boy's white hair, earning himself a glare from the boy in question. "One time is hardly all of the time, Kakashi," he said cheerfully.

"You canceled before, too," Kakashi stated, "That time you snuck out to meet with Kushina-san, and that time Ichiraku Ramen was having two for one. And there was that time when—"

"You're very cute, Kakashi, but that's enough," Minato interrupted, rubbing the back of his neck, "Jeez, how long ago was that? And you still remember?"

Kakashi returned his gaze blankly.

"Sensei," the third member of the team spoke up, the young girl concerned, "Why aren't we having training? Has something happened?"

"No, no, nothing like that, Rin-chan," Minato excused, "There's just something I need to do… Kakashi, too, actually."

"What!" Obito broke in, "You're canceling training just to show Kakashi super cool secret techniques?! That's not fair!"

Minato sweat-dropped, "I didn't say that, Obito-kun…"

"Anô, sensei, what do you and Kakashi-kun need to do?" Rin asked curiously.

"Mou… you see, it's kind of a personal matter," Minato offered awkwardly.

Kakashi eyed him with a frown but it was Obito who spoke up, "What kind of personal matter?!"

"A… personal one," Minato repeated. He shook his head briefly and grinned again, "Now, enough of that. Kakashi, you're with me; Rin and Obito… well, you can go on training if you want."

Kakashi fell in step with his teacher as the blond turned to leave the clearing, leaving the other two Chuunin to turn towards each other. After several seconds, the boy's mouth quirked up in a smirk.

"Oi," he said, adjusting his goggles so they covered his eyes, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Rin-chan?"

"Sensei was acting very suspicious," Rin admitted reluctantly.

Obito's grin widened, "Yosh! Let's go!"

"But… he said it was personal," Rin said slowly, "Maybe… we should just train."

"We can do both!" Obito said happily, "We'll train our tracking skills by following them! Sensei would always approve of such a hands-on training method!"

Rin finally smiled and nodded, letting herself be talked into the clear breach of protocol. "If it's training, I'm sure he won't mind."

Silently, the two slipped from the clearing, following after their teacher and teammate.

* * *

"Here we are!" Minato said stopping abruptly and turning towards a small store, "I knew it was around here someplace."

Kakashi glanced up at the name and frowned—a children's clothing shop. "Aren't you a little big to shop here, sensei?"

Minato laughed, leading his reluctant student into the store, "Unfortunately."

The twelve-year-old regarded him dully, "That had better be a joke, sensei."

The Jounin laughed again, saying nothing one way or another. Instead he pulled out the paper he'd brought, "We're looking for clothes in this size," he said, showing it to his student, "About four or five outfits should be fine for now."

"Is this a mission?" Kakashi questioned, quickly looking down the list and committing the numbers to memory.

"Not exactly," Minato said, "But kind of. It was the Hokage who requested it, after all."

The Chuunin eyed his teacher suspiciously, but didn't reply.

Minato ignored the boy's reaction and walked in, looking for clothes that might fit the measurements he'd received. After a few minutes of browsing he pulled out a bright red shirt with a strange, green face on the front.

"What do you think of this?" The Jounin asked cheerfully, turning to show his find off to his student.

Kakashi frowned at it disapprovingly, "It looks stupid."

Laughing, Minato put it back on the racks and searched for something a little less… strange. "You could help, you know," he added over his shoulder.

The twelve-year-old folded his arms, eyeing him blankly for a moment before he sighed, stepping forward, "What are we looking for?"

"Just some clothes for a boy with those measurements I showed you," Minato replied lightly.

Kakashi shot his teacher an annoyed look, but began rifling through the clothes regardless. After a few minutes of searching, he pulled out a plain black T-shirt and held it out to his teacher. The man sighed.

"You know… he's not a ninja, Kakashi," the Jounin said blithely.

"It's better than a stupid shirt like that that screams 'kill me'." The boy commented, frowning at the bright orange T-shirt his sensei was holding.

The blond grinned, turning the shirt around to show off the front—a small, green toad smiled at Kakashi—"But it's so cute!"

* * *

"What are they doing?" Obito hissed at his companion, trying to keep an eye on the two shinobi who constantly seemed to be moving out of his range of vision.

"… Buying clothes…?" Rin supplied, sounding as confused as the boy felt.

"But… why?" Obito asked, pressing his face closer to the window, "And… it's a little kid store, too."

Rin blinked in surprise, "Maybe sensei…"

Obito frowned when she broke off and turned to look at the girl, "Maybe sensei, what?"

His teammate flushed, "Nothing."

Shaking his head and deciding he didn't want to know, Obito turned back to his spying, squinting through the window, "What are they talking about?"

Frowning, Rin squinted through the window as well, "You can't tell with Kakashi," she complained, "And sensei isn't even looking over here."

Obito groaned in annoyance, "What good is learning how to read lips if no one lets you do it?" Rolling his eyes, he stood up, "Come on."

"Where are you going?" Rin asked, getting to her feet and following the boy.

"They're so busy, they probably won't even notice us," Obito said, moving towards the door.

Rin sighed. "We're going to get caught," she mumbled, following after her teammate.

* * *

"Can you just get something already?" Kakashi asked testily as his teacher pulled out a shirt that was a horrible clash of neon green and orange.

"What do you think of this one, Kakashi-kun?" The man asked cheerfully.

The boy stared dully at it, then crossed his arms, annoyed, "I don't care," he said, "It's stupid, but since it isn't for me, why should I care what it looks like?" He sighed in annoyance as his teacher put the shirt back on the rack, "Why did you bring me along just for this, sensei?"

The man smiled in a knowing way and responded mysteriously, "You'll find out."

Kakashi shot him a glare, "Why don't you just tell me?"

Minato's smile widened, "You wouldn't believe me if I did."

Leaving it at that, Kakashi reluctantly turned back to another shelf of clothes. Still smiling, the Jounin half-turned towards the entrance and called out, "Since you two are here already, you may as well help."

Behind a rack of clothing near the door, the two Chuunin-in-hiding looked at each other in surprise, incredulous that they had been found out so easily.

"Well… it _is_ sensei, after all," Rin commented as they reluctantly stood up.

Obito rubbed the back of his head, grinning embarrassedly as he offered, "Anô, sensei, we were training our stealth techniques."

"Obviously not very well," Kakashi grumbled, not even looking back at the other two.

Minato laughed, "It's fine, Obito-kun." The man excused, holding out another article of clothing—this one a camouflage tee with _NINJA_ printed across the front in bold, black Romaji. "What do you all think of this one?"

Kakashi frowned, obviously not impressed.

Obito scratched the back of his head awkwardly, not quite sure what to say.

"Anô… Well, what's it for, sensei?" Rin asked.

"Ah, well… there's this boy, and it seems all of his belongings were destroyed in an attack on his home," the man explained evasively, "So Hokage-sama sent us to buy a replacement wardrobe."

Kakashi scowled, "Why is Hokage-sama sending us on a mission like this?" He demanded irritably, "We're a Chuunin team, sensei, and he's using us for D-Ranked missions?"

"Mou… it's not exactly a mission, Kakashi-kun," Minato said again, rubbing the back of his neck, "More like… a favor."

The boy harrumphed but didn't argue further—although by the way he was glaring at the nearest rack of clothing, his teacher was sure he wanted to.

"So, what do you think?" The Jounin repeated, jiggling the shirt to bring his students' attention back towards the clothing.

Rin frowned. "Well, what does the boy look like?" She asked, "That's important for knowing what kind of clothing to buy for him, isn't it?"

"Hmm… I don't know, exactly," Minato admitted, frowning at Kakashi thoughtfully, "But I think he probably has white hair and a cute pout."

Obito's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you buying clothes for _him_, sensei?!" He demanded, poking a finger at his teammate accusingly.

"Idiot," Kakashi snarled.

Sweat-drops formed on the other two members of the team and Rin quickly supplied, "That couldn't be the case, Obito, all of these clothes are way too small for Kakashi-kun."

"That's true," Minato agreed somberly, "But, now that you mention it, I think the person might look a lot like Kakashi."

"That makes it easier," Rin put in, "We can just look for things that would look good on Kakashi, then."

The blond grinned, "Alright!" He said, pulling out the sheet of measurements again, "That's the spirit! We'll split up and meet back here, each with an outfit that would look good on Kakashi and would fit a little boy this size. Four or five outfits should be about enough for now."

Rin took the paper from her teacher, and she and Obito looked over it quickly. Minato didn't wait for them to finish before giving the order for them to move out. His students quickly complied—some more enthusiastically than others.

* * *

They met back at the front of the store ten minutes later, each of them dutifully holding an outfit—the way Obito was snickering caused Kakashi a little unease, though. The white-haired boy glanced over the clothing his team held and frowned, eyes pausing on the set his teacher held.

"I thought we agreed red was stupid," he commented, frowning at the red T-shirt in his teacher's arms, accented with yellow and blue lines.

"I don't remember that," Minato replied with a grin, "Besides, bright colors are happy."

Obito snickered, "Is that why Kakashi always acts like he's got a stick shoved up his—" the boy was cut short by a glare and a sharp, scandalized reprimand from his female teammate.

"Maa, maa," the Jounin placated, grinning, "Let's see what the rest of you have."

Rin showed the man her clothes—a light blue T-shirt with a pair of matching pants and a darker blue button up shirt to go over top. Flushing a little, she admitted, "I think Kakashi-kun looks good in blue…"

Minato nodded approvingly and accepted the clothes from the girl to add to his T-shirt and shorts. He raised an eyebrow as Obito's snickering started all over again, and the boy proudly held up his own selected T-shirt in silent explanation.

It was a light gray T-shirt with the round, chubby face of a large eyed puppy on the front—he had found shorts to match. Kakashi's disapproving frown only made the boy laugh louder. "What's wrong, Kakashi?" He asked not-so-innocently, "I thought you _liked_ dogs!"

"It's cute," Minato said with a smile, "Good work, Obito."

"That's the ugliest 'dog' I've ever seen," Kakashi grumbled, shooting a glare at the other boy as he handed his clothes to the Jounin.

Obito smirked at him, "It's cute," he argued, repeating their teacher's earlier sentiment, "Besides, your pig-kun or whatever you call him is _way_ uglier."

Kakashi's scowl deepened, his glare sharpening. "It's Pakkun, moron," he growled, "And he's _not_ ugly."

"I've seen Nakago's cat drag home nicer things than that pig-kun," Obito argued.

The younger boy's eyes flashed dangerously, "Maybe you'd like me to summon him so you can tell him that yourself."

The tension between the two was continuing to rise, and they were already attracting many glares from parents who had brought their children to the shop. Minato thought it prudent to interrupt before things could escalate to violence.

"Kakashi! Why don't you show us what you found?" The man suggested loudly.

A shinobi really couldn't have asked for a more practical outfit than the one that was thrown at him. The black pants ended short and the long-sleeved shirt was as black as any shadow, even with the dark outline of the Leaf emblem adorning the front. Minato smiled, mostly to keep himself from laughing.

"Something that would look good on you, ne, Kakashi," he commented with amusement.

Kakashi didn't respond, crossing his arms and glaring at nothing in particular—Minato was glad that at least his argument with Obito seemed to have ended.

The team filed out of the clothing shop only after Minato had paused to pick up some sandals and underwear, and the camouflage tee he'd been admiring earlier—declaring that it was just too cute to pass up. Kakashi somehow found himself ending up with all three bags, and he bore the burden with only a slight twinge of annoyance.

"Can we train now?" The white-haired shinobi questioned, irritated at spending the last hour shopping for clothes—especially since his teacher had made it clear that it wasn't part of a real mission.

"Actually, we still have a few more things to do, Kakashi," Minato said.

"What?" Obito asked curiously.

"Mou… it's kind of a personal matter," the Jounin said again.

His three students shot him dull looks.

"Like buying clothes was a personal matter?" Rin asked dryly.

Minato sighed, rubbing the back of his head for a moment before turning to look at his students with complete seriousness—an expression that was usually reserved for dangerous missions.

"This is something Kakashi and I have to do alone," the Jounin stated, all traces of his earlier cheerfulness gone, "Obito, Rin, I'm sorry, but I don't want you two to follow us this time."

"Aw, why not?" Obito grumbled without real feeling.

The man smiled slightly, the serious expression lingering in his eyes, "It's important that only Kakashi come with me. I'm sure you two will learn the reason soon enough, but for now only Kakashi." His expression hardened again, glaring slightly, "Understood?"

The boy's eyes widened slightly in surprise at his teacher's threatening expression, "H-hai!"

At his side, Rin was quickly agreeing, as well. Kakashi remained silent, wondering what the big deal was about.

Minato nodded in approval, and allowed his expression to soften again. "I'll see you both tomorrow," he said, before turning to lead his remaining student away.


	2. Situational Awareness

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Hey! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. It's kind of a... different story, so I'm eager to find out how it's accepted. Not much to say at the beginning of this chapter--I'll just warn you there's mention of violence. In case you're wondering on ages/time; Harry has recently turned six, Kakashi is twelve, Obito is thirteen, and Rin has recently turned fourteen. Which puts this in late August.

Disclaimer: I own not, said the fisher to the sea, anything from either Harry Potter or Naruto... Dear fisher, said the sea, I never would have thought such a thing.

Chapter 2 – Situational Awareness

The dark haired man lay back in the bed, trying to ignore the woman beside him. It wasn't like he'd never slept with anyone before, but there hadn't been anyone since his wife died three years prior. He hadn't really had the time or desire between missions and spending time with his son.

Missions of this sort were always a little awkward. He wasn't lying with just any woman, but the wife of his employer. He didn't have much choice, but it didn't make him feel any more comfortable. As long as he was impersonating the man, he'd be stuck here—after all, what kind of husband would refuse to sleep along side his wife?

"James?" Came a soft whisper from the woman beside him.

Hastily, the man shut his eyes before she could look over. Making no response, he feigned sleep, and soon felt her settle down again, this time nestling against his side.

He may have to sleep with the woman, he allowed, but he wasn't about to use the bed for anything else in a situation like this.

* * *

Kakashi frowned up at the building in front of them before he followed his teacher through the doors. "Sensei," he started, catching up to the man's side again, "What's this about?"

"I told you," Minato said, "You'll find out in a few minutes."

Kakashi's frown deepened, "What kind of personal matters do you want to attend to at a hospital?" His eyes narrowed, glaring at the Jounin in suspicion, "You don't want me to get a physical, do you? I feel fine."

The blond chuckled, ruffling the boy's white hair, "It's not like that, Kakashi-kun, relax."

"What is it like, then?" Kakashi persisted, refusing to be distracted.

The man sighed, thinking for a moment before he replied, "There's someone here you need to meet."

"Who?" Kakashi questioned, even more confused than before, "Why would I need to meet anyone here?"

"He's in room 342," Minato said instead of answering, "Come on, Kakashi."

With growing irritation, Kakashi followed. Why wouldn't his teacher just give him a straight answer for once? He'd even be satisfied with a name. It didn't make sense, his teacher had never hauled him off for something like this before. If he didn't recognize the man's chakra signature, he would have thought it was an imposter.

Kakashi was not overly fond of the hospital. He was even less fond of the medics that manned the hospital. He understood the importance of their jobs, and even allowed that their assistance was usually necessary, but he couldn't bring himself to like a place or people that held such unhappy memories for him.

"Here we are," Minato said at last, breaking the silence before Kakashi could become lost in his thoughts. "Now, Kakashi… I should probably warn you… this might be a little surprising."

The boy stared at him blankly and the man smiled awkwardly.

"Ready?" Minato asked.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but dutifully answered, "Yes."

"Right," The man agreed and, unable to delay the moment any longer, he pushed open the door, leading the way inside. Kakashi followed right behind him, pausing as his eyes landed on the figure standing in front of the window on the opposite side of the room.

It was a small child dressed in the standard light blue hospital clothes. There was nothing particularly remarkable about him, from what Kakashi could see. Just another scrawny brat with a head of messy white hair. The Chuunin looked up at his teacher with irritation.

To Minato the boy looked strikingly familiar. How many times had he seen Kakashi like that as a child? Standing in his hospital garb after being injured on a mission or in training? It was an almost eerie resemblance, as though he'd stepped back through time. Curious, he felt the boy's chakra, and even after being warned, was surprised by the familiar pattern.

"You canceled training to bring me here?" Kakashi questioned with annoyance.

Minato glanced down at his student, a little confused, "Yes."

"Why?" Kakashi asked with obvious annoyance, "I've never seen him before in my life."

"Eto… Yes, but…" Minato looked between the two awkwardly—he'd expected Kakashi to at least recognize their similarity. "Kakashi… doesn't he look a little familiar?"

The Chuunin shot his teacher an annoyed look and turned attentive eyes to the child's back again. "I suppose he resembles that Mizuki guy," he admitted at length, frowning, "Although this one's scrawnier."

Minato raised an eyebrow, taking a moment to remember the _other_ white haired boy in Konoha.

"Or… he looks kind of like Jiraiya-sama," Kakashi supplied after a long moment with a thoughtful frown, "Is he related to Jiraiya-sama? Is that why you brought me here, sensei?"

Minato's second eyebrow joined his first. The boy didn't really look much like his teacher, his body structure was much slimmer. Other than the white hair, he couldn't see much resemblance, "Kakashi… isn't there someone else he looks a lot like?"

Kakashi was silent for a long moment before answering, "No."

Minato smiled at the obvious denial. "That's kind of strange," he said thoughtfully, "Because I think he looks an awful lot like you, Kakashi-kun."

"So?" The boy asked, looking at his teacher guardedly.

"Mou… it makes more sense that he looks like you, Kakashi," Minato supplied, bracing himself, "Seeing as how he _is_ your brother."

The twelve-year-old stared at the man blankly for a long moment, then looked back at the younger boy again. "Sensei, that's impossible." He stated bluntly, "O-kaasan died after giving birth to me. She never had a second child." He frowned up at his teacher, "Even if she had, he isn't old enough."

"Well, half-brother, at least," Minato supplied.

Kakashi shook his head, "I would have known," he dismissed, "O-tousan would have said something."

"He wouldn't have necessarily known," Minato excused.

"He still isn't old enough," Kakashi argued.

"He's six years old," Minato supplied—the boy was quite small for his age, and almost dangerously thin from what the Jounin could see. "He was born shortly before your father's death, as I understand it."

Kakashi shook his head again, "That's not possible."

The blond frowned, "Kakashi… test his chakra, I'm sure you'll find that you recognize it… Because of the white chakra, you Hatake have always felt very different from other shinobi."

The twelve-year-old shook his head, "I'm telling you, sensei. It doesn't matter what his chakra is like, I'm the last one left."

Minato frowned severely at his student, "Try it, Kakashi."

Kakashi frowned up at his teacher for a moment longer before reluctantly doing as ordered. He glared at the younger boy for a few seconds and closed his eyes, reaching out with his senses.

He felt a small thrill at the powerful, familiar energy rolling off the younger boy, but quickly stamped it down. There was no way he could have a brother—even a half-brother. It was just impossible. He was Hatake Kakashi—the last of the Hatake line.

Opening his eyes again, he looked up at his teacher, "It doesn't prove anything."

"Stop being difficult, Kakashi," Minato snipped in annoyance, "You know as well as anyone—chakra signatures can't be faked."

"… It's possible some other clan has the white chakra," Kakashi argued, "Maybe he's part of an old off-shoot of the Hatake."

"We would know about something like that," the Jounin argued back, "Besides, even if you say that, they're running a blood test. You can't ignore the results of something like that."

Kakashi frowned and didn't respond.

Minato sighed, "Even if you don't believe it now, you'll have to accept it someday, Kakashi. The test results should be ready in a few days. Until then, come over here and meet him."

Kakashi reluctantly followed his teacher as he led the way across to the boy, pausing several feet away. Minato stepped up to the smaller boy, stopping beside him and smiling as he spoke.

"Harii-kun," the man started.

The boy's head tilted back in surprise, wide, dark green eyes staring up at him. The boy turned, gaze moving from the blond man to the older boy and back again.

"Kakashi," Minato introduced, "This is Harii-kun. Harii, meet Hatake Kakashi."

The boy's dark eyes followed his gaze to the other boy, but he said nothing. Kakashi met his gaze for a second, then looked away, grunting.

Minato sighed. "I see you're both men of few words," he commented, "Harii, you're going to be coming home with us today."

The green-eyed boy stared up at him blankly, wide eyes showing no response.

"He's coming with us?" Kakashi interrupted sharply.

Minato looked back at his student, "Yes," he confirmed, "Do you have a problem with that, Kakashi?"

"We don't even know who he really is," Kakashi stated coldly, glaring at the younger boy.

"If the Hokage says so, that should be enough for you," the Jounin reprimanded with a disapproving frown.

Kakashi scowled and looked away, making no reply.

Minato turned back to his new charge and smiled. "Just ignore Kakashi, Harii-kun," he advised, "He's shy."

The older boy grunted in defiance, but continued to hold his tongue.

Minato's smile widened slightly, "Now, let's get you dressed, then we can leave, alright?"

The six-year-old continued to stare at him blankly.

* * *

"What?" Kakashi demanded, surprise evident in his voice, looking awkwardly over his shoulder from where he was retrieving the extra futon from the top of the closet. Harry was crouched nearby, wide eyes fixed on the older boy who was easily sticking to the edge of the frame of the closet, crouched on the balls of his feet on the vertical surface as naturally as though on the ground.

Minato scratched the back of his head, "I said we need to move the extra futon to your room, Kakashi."

The boy frowned severely, eyebrows drawing together above his mask, and made no further movement to pull out the futon. Instead, he stood, walking casually down the wall to the floor, arms crossed over his chest.

"Why does it have to be in my room?" The twelve-year-old demanded, glaring challengingly up at his teacher.

Minato ignored the glare, smiling, "Well, he is _your_ brother, Kakashi, it makes the most sense to move him in there."

Kakashi's frown only deepened, additional lines forming on his forehead. "It doesn't," he argued, "We don't know he's my brother. Besides, there isn't any room in my room. He should stay in the living room."

Minato frowned. "There should be space for another futon," he stated, "Unless you've been leaving things on the floor again."

Kakashi scowled, "I need the open space to exercise in the morning."

"You'll have plenty of room to exercise after you both fold up your futons," Minato pointed out.

"Why can't he just sleep in the living room?" Kakashi demanded.

"He could," Minato reluctantly agreed, "But I'm sure he would feel more welcomed if he didn't have to sleep out here." It was the first time he'd ever regretted having such a small apartment. Usually, who slept where wasn't a concern, not only was it usually just Kakashi and him, each with their own room—Kakashi's having been converted from a small study—but they were away on missions as often as they were at home, so the size of their apartment hadn't really been an issue.

"Who said I wanted to make him feel welcome?" Kakashi asked coldly.

Minato frowned at him, "Kakashi," he chastised sternly, "You're acting like a child. I understand this isn't an easy situation for you, but it isn't easy for Harii, either! Even if you won't acknowledge him as your brother, he is still our guest and you need to be polite."

Kakashi stood silent for a moment, eyes glaring at the floor and hands fisted at his sides. When he spoke, his voice was low with barely checked anger.

"Fine," he practically growled, "Let him sleep in my room. You can let him have my seat at the table while you're at it. And you can give him my kunai, too—since he doesn't have any of his own."

Before Minato could reply, the boy formed a quick seal with his hands and disappeared in a swirl of wind. The man sighed, rubbing his forehead with a hand before turning back to the six-year-old, who'd watched silently through everything, eyes wide.

The Jounin forced a smile, "It's okay, Harii-kun," he said cheerfully, "Kakashi-kun just needs some time to cool off. I'll show you your new room, okay?" Reaching up, he pulled out the extra futon and started across the room, pausing to look back at the young boy expectantly.

After a moment, the child got to his feet and followed him into the other room. It was as bare as the man had expected—Kakashi's futon was folded up and pushed against the wall, next to a small dresser that held extra clothes and weapons and was topped by the latest scroll the Chuunin had been studying. Minato set down the extra futon on the end of the room farthest away from the other items, but close to the door. He unfolded it with a flourish, waving it a few times before setting it on the ground.

"It's been up there for a while," he confided to the child, "So we'll let it air out for today. Come on, let's get a blanket, too."

* * *

Kakashi looked down at his fist, glowering at the blood staining his knuckles. He flexed his hand into a tighter fist, ignoring the damage as he returned his eyes to the log he'd been beating on for the last hour. It was slightly worse for the wear, chipped and cracked, but it had held up under such conditions before and wasn't about to fall apart now.

The boy released another string of attacks in quick succession, kicking and punching the tree with a variety of techniques. After about five minutes of this he paused, feeling a hand land on his shoulder. He wasn't surprised, he'd felt someone enter the clearing shortly before, and had known enough to expect some kind of confrontation. He didn't move, still staring at the target, breathing heavily.

"… Kakashi," Minato spoke at length.

The twelve-year-old reluctantly allowed his teacher to turn him around and the blond's eyes gazed over him, looking him up and down and taking particular notice of the cuts on his hands and the dirt on his clothes. The man sighed, wondering where in the Jounin job description it said you had to deal with temperamental kids—perhaps a byline in the teacher addendum.

Kakashi noticed the man's gaze and looked down at his hands again before looking back up, "They aren't bad."

Minato smiled slightly, "You should have covered them before you started."

The boy shrugged, averting his eyes once more to intently examine the chips of wood littering the ground beside the stump.

Minato sighed again, allowing his eyes to wander as well, "Kakashi…" He started again, "I know it's hard to deal with changes like this, but—"

Kakashi looked up at him sharply and interrupted, "How do you know? Did you wake up one day only to have everyone start telling you that some stranger is your brother? O-tousan wouldn't have done that! You don't get it, you didn't know him! He would have told me about something like that! O-tousan trusted me."

"He might not have known," Minato countered calmly, "It happened while he was away on a mission… He couldn't have predicted what came after."

Kakashi glowered at the ground and didn't answer.

Smiling slightly, Minato took the boy's hand and began tugging him away from the stump. Kakashi let himself be pulled along, glower still on his face.

Once they'd reached the edge of the clearing, Minato pulled his student to sit on an old log laying on the ground, and took a seat beside him. Kakashi waited silently for the man to speak, as his demeanor was clearly that of someone gathering their thoughts.

"Believe it or not, Kakashi, the same kind of thing happened to me," Minato said at length, "Of course, I was very small at the time, and it wasn't a complete surprise because I'd been told he was coming before, I just hadn't met him until then." Kakashi was looking at him at least, which was a good sign. "A lot of things changed when my brother was born, and it took me a while to get used to it."

Kakashi scowled, "That's not the same thing at all, sensei."

"No, but it's still a little similar, I think," Minato defended, "I didn't have to share my room, but I did have to get used to him becoming the center of my parents' attention, and later I had to share my things with him and help take care of him. Even if you know he's coming, it doesn't really help prepare you for everything that's going to happen because of it."

Kakashi didn't reply.

"Even if he isn't your brother," Minato continued, "You should still make an effort to welcome him. Harii-kun comes from a difficult situation himself." He paused, considering how to word things without giving too much away.

"In his old village," Minato explained, "Harii's parents made enemies with a very dangerous person. When he was still an infant, his parents were murdered by the person, and an attempt was made on his life, as well. It's not clear how he survived, but he was found to be the only one alive later that same night, so he was given to his mother's relatives to be raised…"

He paused again, glancing at his student, but Kakashi's blank face gave nothing of his thoughts away. "Eight days ago, the followers of that man attacked Harii and his family, apparently trying to finish the job their leader had attempted. The whole family died and, again, Harii was the only survivor by the time help arrived."

There was a long moment of silence after he'd finished before Kakashi finally spoke. "Who was the enemy?"

Minato rubbed the back of his head, "Mou… Hokage-sama didn't say, exactly."

Kakashi's frown deepened, "Then how do you know he'll be safe here?"

"His old village is very far from here," Minato supplied, "And not easily accessible."

"Where is his old village?" Kakashi asked.

"Ah… Hokage-sama was vague on that, as well," Minato replied awkwardly.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"But he insisted it was impossible for anyone to get here from there without… help," the man supplied, "They don't even know he's here, anyway."

The boy looked away, expression bored again. "It's not like I'm worried," he pointed out, "It would just be easier if we knew what to look for in case someone does come."

"A shinobi should always be aware," Minato intoned, "Even if you don't know whether someone's after you or not, it's important to be aware of your surroundings and the people around you."

Kakashi shot the man an annoyed look, "I know that…" He looked back at the clearing, "Where is the runt, anyway?"

"I left him with Kushina-san for now," Minato said.

The boy nodded shortly.

"Ready to go back?" Minato asked.

Kakashi was silent for a moment, then stood, "I'll stay out here a little longer."

"Okay," his teacher agreed, "I'll save something for you for dinner." He stood, but paused once more before leaving, "Make sure you bandage those hands, too."

"I know, sensei," Kakashi replied, back to the man.

Minato smiled fondly at the boy before leaving.

* * *

Kakashi lay on his futon in the dim room, awake, as he'd been pretty much all night. He glanced across at his roommate out of the corner of his eye. The other boy was laying with his eyes open, as well, staring blankly up at the ceiling. They were almost right next to each other, the room being just big enough for the two futons to be laid out, with only a little space to spare.

He returned his eyes to the ceiling. Harry had been awake pretty much all night, too. He'd been listening to his breathing and had found the other boy's quiet, uneven breaths very distracting. During the few occasions the younger boy had actually fallen asleep, breathing slow and steady, he'd been able to catch a bit of sleep, himself, but was usually woken up again when the other boy shifted and stirred restlessly.

Kakashi stubbornly shut his eyes, deciding he never wanted to have a roommate again.

A soft knock on the door made him open them again, and he watched as his teacher cracked the door open, peeking inside. Both pairs of eyes watched the man and he smiled slightly.

"You're both awake already?" He asked.

Kakashi just nodded, sitting up, "How long until our meeting?"

"There's still an hour," Minato supplied, "I thought we could go to breakfast on the way, since you're both awake."

Kakashi shrugged and got out of bed, moving to put away his futon. Harry watched him carefully for a moment before copying him—crawling out of bed to fold up his own futon in poor imitation that resulted with a sloppy pile.

* * *

Harry stared at the two smiling faces, vaguely wondering what they were saying. A girl with light brown hair and red marks on her cheeks was grinning and saying something, looking between himself and Kakashi. A black haired boy was shifting between laughing at Kakashi and talking to him in an oddly pitched voice, routinely adjusting the goggles that rested on his forehead.

He looked up at another voice, this one belonging to the blond man who was, apparently, his new guardian. The man smiled down at him, eyes squinting slightly as he said something, motioning to the two older children. His words followed a vaguely familiar pattern and Harry realized he was being introduced to the two children—although he wasn't sure which was supposed to be Uchiha and which was Tanaka. They both sounded like strange names to him.

He glanced across at the fourth figure—Kakashi stood off to the side, arms crossed and not looking at the rest of them. He looked tired, the skin under his eyes a bit discolored, and his eyelids even more droopy than usual. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it—his guardian had introduced the other boy as Hatake Kakashi, but usually just called him Kakashi instead of Hatake, which was a little strange since he still called him Harry and not Potter.

The boy shrugged it off and looked back at the blond man as he spoke again, this time with the attention of the other kids on him. They nodded in response to whatever he was saying and moved to the far side of the clearing. The black haired boy pulled his goggles down over his eyes and the light haired girl adjusted the pouches she wore around her waist. Kakashi just stood there, staring blankly at the others.

The blond man spoke again, smiling down at him, and motioned towards the ground before sitting cross-legged at the base of a tree. Harry hesitated for a moment before following his example and sitting beside him. The man grinned at him again before turning back to the others and shouting something.

The children all shouted back, and immediately they began moving. Harry watched with wide eyes as the black haired boy jumped to the left while the brown haired girl went to the right, each of them throwing a handful of objects at Kakashi—they moved too fast for Harry to tell what, exactly, they were.

Kakashi blocked some of the objects the boy had thrown with what looked like a small knife—there was the distinctive clashing noise of metal against metal. He rolled out of the way of the rest and they hit the ground harmlessly as he twisted around, throwing something of his own.

The black haired boy cried out in surprise as whatever it was grazed his right arm. He shouted something, but Kakashi wasn't paying any attention, already busy with the girl, who he'd thrown a punch at. The girl blocked and slipped to the side, smoothly pulling out another black knife. She didn't get a chance to use it as Kakashi knocked it out of her hand with a kick, spinning all the way around to kick her in the torso with his other leg. She was sent flying back just in time for him to confront the other boy again.

Things continued in this manner for some time until the girl was struggling to unpin herself from a tree—several small, shiny star-like things through her clothes kept her successfully restrained—and the dark haired boy was pinned under Kakashi's knee, another black, knife-like object at his neck.

Minato stood as yet another training session ended in favor of his star pupil. He glanced down to shoot a quick, reassuring smile at Harry before crossing over to his three students.

"Kakashi, you can let him up now," he stated, smiling slightly in amusement as the boy obeyed his orders stoically before crossing over to help Rin off of the tree he'd pinned her to, expertly pulling his shuriken from the thick bark.

"It's not fair," Obito grumbled, dusting dirt off his clothes as he stood up, shooting a dirty glare after his teammate, "He's been doing this longer than we have."

Minato raised an eyebrow, "But you had him outnumbered two-to-one," he pointed out reasonably, "Besides, you're all the same rank right now."

"But he's been a Chuunin since before we were Genin!" Obito exclaimed defensively.

The man shook his head, "It shouldn't matter that much who has more experience. If you and Rin get better at working together, you can beat just about anyone. Besides, you've been doing a lot better lately."

Kakashi and Rin joined them again and Kakashi spoke up derisively, "Sensei, it's boring just fighting them. When can we spar?"

"Sensei, when are we going to go on a mission again?" Obito complained.

"We should be going back to our usual missions tomorrow or the day after," Minato replied, "Hokage-sama wanted to give Harii-kun a little while to adjust… We'll break into pairs now—Obito and Rin, you two should practice your timing. It doesn't help that you're on different sides of your enemy if your attacks don't coincide."

"Hai," the two teens confirmed reluctantly.

"Kakashi, you and I will practice one-on-one sparring. Go all-out, even using Genjutsu and Ninjutsu," Minato directed, "They won't go easy on you in the exams by only using Taijutsu."

Kakashi nodded, dark eyes cold.

The Jounin nodded, "Ready?"

Kakashi didn't respond.

"Begin!"

Harry watched, eyes wide, as the blond haired man and the older white haired boy suddenly burst into motion in two blurs of speed that were far above anything he'd seen before in his life.

They dashed here and there, the blond matching Kakashi's speed, appearing clearly only as they clashed together, the loud clang of metal accompanying them.

Kakashi's hands flashed through seals without his body ever slowing, and a moment later several small fireballs were flying towards the blond from different directions.

Minato grinned, blocking each of the balls with his own kunai and sending the small, flame-wreathed projectiles back towards the Chuunin.

Kakashi dived to the left, then turned his dodge into a roll, quickly extinguishing the small flame that had ignited in his shirt when one of the weapons grazed him.

Harry stiffened suddenly as the smell of burnt flesh reached him, eyes wide in alarm.

The blond hesitated, saying something, to which Kakashi responded by throwing another projectile.

The room burst into flames around them as the family backed away from the masked intruders to their house.

Kakashi threw several more weapons, this time trailing wires, and propelled himself off a branch to get behind his teacher.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut, pushing his face down into his arms.

One of the figures laughed in a cold, high tone as it waved the stick again, his uncle's chest bursting open with a spray of blood.

Kakashi grunted as his teacher met him in midair, shoulder striking him in the abdomen.

Harry's arms wrapped around his head, hands clapping over his ears to block out the screams.

With a malevolent grin, Minato grabbed his student's shoulder and tossed him towards the ground.

Kakashi's body dissolved into dust upon impact and Minato looked around quickly only to find that the boy was suddenly descending on him from above, leg outstretched in a kick.

With a quick sign the man disappeared and Kakashi's kick broke through a hastily borrowed branch. He landed on the ground, opposite his teacher, both breathing a little heavier than usual.

A muffled cry diverted both of their attentions to the small boy curled up at the base of a tree. They exchanged glances once before running to his side.

Kakashi hesitated, stopping short of the tree and glancing anxiously at his teacher, who had approached the boy's side.

"Sensei?" He asked.

"What's wrong?" Rin cried—Kakashi turned to see Rin and Obito running towards them.

"We heard a shout!" Obito called out, kunai in hand, "Is everything okay?"

Minato, kneeling by the six-year-old's side, hesitantly reached out to place a hand on the shaking shoulder.

"Harii-kun," he started softly.

The boy didn't react.

"Harii," he repeated, a little louder.

This time the boy's head came up, wide eyes rimmed with red, breathing choked and ragged.

Minato smiled, hand moving to rub the boy's back, "Shh, it's alright, Harii-kun."

For a moment, the child's face reflected confusion and fear, then, as though he had understood, he suddenly moved forward, grabbing hold of the man's clothes and burying his face as he cried.

The three Chuunin watched dumbly, too surprised to do anything.

Minato faltered for a moment in shock before he continued rubbing the boy's back, patting it periodically and whispering comforting words.

At length, the boy quieted, but Minato continued to hold him.

Disgruntled, and a little unnerved, Kakashi turned away, choosing to inspect the injury on his arm instead, "What's wrong with him?"

"Kakashi!" Rin gasped in surprise, turning on her younger teammate, "What's wrong with _you_? Don't be so rude!"

Kakashi looked at her strangely and didn't respond.

"Is he… going to be okay?" Obito asked in concern, crouching awkwardly across from his teacher, goggles pushed hastily above his eyes.

"He'll be fine," their teacher assured the three young ninja, "He's just afraid… We'll stop here for today."

Kakashi frowned, "The exams start next week, sensei!"

Obito turned on the other boy, "Quit being such a selfish jerk, Kakashi!" He snapped, "Can't you see that he's really scared about something?! He's your brother, you should care more than that!"

Kakashi remained silent, but his expression didn't change at all.

Minato sighed, "Kakashi… we should get Harii back."

The twelve-year-old stared mutely at him for a moment before turning abruptly, "Take him back. I'll come later."

His three teammates watched mutely as the Hatake blurred, disappearing into the forest.

Obito scowled, "Why's he always such a jerk?" He demanded of no one in particular, "He acts like he's the most important person in the world. Some things are more important than training and tests."

"That's just Kakashi's nature," Rin pointed out, "But, still, you'd think he'd be a little nicer when it's his brother…"

Minato sighed, "That it's his brother is part of the problem, I think," he stated, "Until yesterday, Kakashi didn't even realize he had a brother."

Obito's eyebrows drew together as he frowned, "That doesn't make sense," he said, standing as his teacher stood, Harry still in his arms, "How could he not know?"

Minato smiled slightly, "Kakashi feels that way, too. He thinks that since he didn't know about him, it isn't possible that he's his brother."

"So… he doesn't think Harii-chan is his brother?" Rin asked, "Doesn't he see how much they're alike?"

"I think it's more that he doesn't want to see," the man corrected judiciously, his students keeping in step with him as he led the way back to the village, "It's… complicated."

"Well, I think it's stupid!" Obito declared loudly, "Any idiot could tell just by looking at them that they're related! He should stop being so thick-headed and just accept it!"

Minato smiled vaguely, "It's not always that easy."

"So what?" Obito demanded, "Everyone keeps saying he's a genius, so he should be able to do it!"


	3. Pseudo Sparring

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I own everything in the world. Except Naruto. Also, I have no idea what kind of tests promotion to Jounin takes. Contrary to popular belief, I am _not_ psychic and _haven't_ predicted everything Kishimoto may or may not tell us in the future.

Ah, I meant to get this up early... well, it's a little early, right? Sort of. Anyway, it's longer than usual. I added about two pages near the beginning, because everyone seemed eager to see the shinobi's reaction to Harry's speaking another language and, well, I'd pretty much left the immediate reaction ambiguous, originally. So, hopefully you'll enjoy that bit with the Hokage. Some people also wondered how Lily could think Sakumo was James... hopefully, this clears it up a bit...

Thanks to the people who added this to communities, favorites, alerts, and what-have-you. And, of course, thanks for reviewing and reading in general, I'm glad to see people are enjoying this.

Chapter 3 – Pseudo-Sparring

A week into his mission things were becoming strained. Lily had begun to regard him uncertainly, and it was clear that she wasn't sure what was going on in their relationship.

She'd apologized many times over the last few days for asking him to stay behind while his friends went into danger, but he'd brushed it off, assuring her that he wasn't angry and would do anything to be with her. She'd yelled at him a few times, asking what was the matter with him and why was he acting so strange. He'd passed it off with a suitably confused and forlorn expression and apologized, saying he was just tired and worried about his friends.

But none of the trouble they'd run into thus far had prepared him for retiring to their chambers that night, only to find her already in bed, crying. He wasn't a man who was used to dealing with emotional women—or any emotional people in general, even his young son rarely showed strong emotions. His wife had been in the same profession as him, and he had never seen her cry.

He almost turned around and left.

As a husband, he knew it was really his duty to comfort her as well as he could. Reluctantly, he approached.

"Lily…?" He questioned in a soft, uncertain voice, imagining James to be just as awkward in approaching a crying woman as he was.

The woman didn't respond directly and he crossed the room to her side, sitting carefully on the bed and gently rubbing her back, trying to seem patient and loving even though all he wanted was to get out of there. She didn't seem to notice the tenseness in his shoulders.

"James," she said at last, her voice stressed and broken from crying, "What's wrong with us? Is it something I did?"

Feeling distinctly awkward, he responded gently, "What do you mean, Lily? There's nothing wrong…"

The woman shot him a look, her vibrant green eyes obviously angry. He almost cringed—he'd seen _that_ look enough, and the outcome was never good for him.

"How can there be nothing wrong?!" She demanded, "You've been so cold and distant lately, James! Was it something I did? I'm sorry I asked you to stay behind, I just thought it was for the best if you did! Is that what this is about?"

"Lily, I've told you before, I'm not angry," the man answered awkwardly, a horrible understanding beginning to dawn on him, "I just… I haven't been feeling up to… it… lately."

"Why?!" The woman demanded, emotionally distraught, "Am I not attractive to you anymore? James, please, what did I do? Isn't there any way we can make things right again?"

The man really hoped he didn't look as awkward as he felt—dashing out the window and abandoning this particular mission was looking more and more attractive. He hadn't been warned about this at all, he supposed it had been too awkward a situation for his employer to bring up, even in print.

At that moment he decided that he really hated newly weds.

"It's nothing like that, Lily," he insisted, "You're very beautiful, really. It's nothing you've done, I…" His mind dashed through excuses hastily and he reluctantly grabbed hold of the only plausible lie that might console her, "I didn't want to tell you, but…"

He allowed an embarrassed blush to spread across his cheeks because he knew he'd be embarrassed to have a conversation like this with his wife and imagined his employer would feel much the same. Awkwardly, he continued, "Lately I've… well… I've not been well, Lily."

Lily looked at him, frowning slightly in confusion. Hesitantly, she started, "You mean…?" The woman trailed off, a little pink, herself.

He nodded quickly, avoiding her eyes in an awkward, self-conscious fashion, "I… I've been taking medication," he offered, "I… should be fine in another week or so…" He glanced at her hesitantly through the glasses he didn't need, "Can you wait, Lily…? Please?"

The woman smiled, tears still staining her cheeks, "Of course, James," she agreed readily, "We can get through this… I just wish you'd told me sooner."

He cracked a wry, embarrassed smile and replied, "Well, it's not exactly something I like to bring up over the kitchen table."

He was rewarded for his efforts with an embarrassed giggle and another quiet night.

* * *

Two days after meeting the boy Minato was becoming quite concerned. He was a worrying man by nature—at least, that's what he told his students when they accused him of mothering them—and two days seemed excessive, even keeping in mind culture shock and the loss of loved ones.

He'd tried cajoling the boy—"Come on, Harii-kun, you like ramen, don't you? Tell me you like ramen!"—Harry didn't respond. He'd tried reasoning sternly—"Now, Harii-kun, we can't order what you like if you don't tell us!"—the boy had been unresponsive. After finally reaching his wit's end that very morning, he'd even snapped a little—"How can you expect people to know what you want if you don't say anything?!"—Harry had only stared at him a moment, then run back into his room. Minato guiltily suspected he'd made the six-year-old cry and felt horrible about it.

Kakashi didn't seem concerned—"He's just being stupid, sensei," the twelve-year-old had assured him, "The other kids at the Academy gave me the 'silent treatment' all the time. Just ignore him."—it wasn't particularly encouraging. Minato couldn't help but think it wasn't some childish games; besides the lack of speech, Harry wasn't all that reclusive and seemed to like them, or at least prefer being around them to being alone. He was worried something may be physically—or mentally—wrong with the boy.

And he really needed to get this settled now, since in the morning his team would be departing on a mission and he wanted to be able to tell Kushina what to expect. The woman had volunteered to watch Harry while they were gone, since she'd been put on temporary suspension by orders of the police—after getting into a fight with one of their own. Minato suspected it was really only because the Uchiha ended up losing that they pressed for punishment.

"Minato-san," the man looked up to see an older shinobi in front of him. The man nodded to the door over his shoulder, "We're done—the Hokage said to send you in."

The blond smiled, "Thank you," he remarked gratefully, looking across at the two boys with him. Kakashi was already moving forward, still looking a little annoyed that he'd been made to come, and Harry was looking up curiously from where he'd sat next to the wall.

"Come on, Harii-kun," he beckoned to the boy, "Let's go in now."

Harry stared at him blankly with his usual disturbing lack of acknowledgement—it always gave the Jounin the distinct impression that he was babbling like an infant.

Minato held out his hand and motioned the boy forward, "Well, come on," he intoned again, stepping towards the door—Kakashi was already there, staring dully back at them with veiled impatience.

At last the boy got up and followed him into the room. The Hokage acknowledged their presence warmly once the doors had closed again.

"Ah, Minato-san and the Hatake brothers," the old man must have seen the unhappy furrowing of Kakashi's brow at his salutation, but he didn't comment. "How are things going? Settling down well, I trust?"

"Actually, Hokage-sama, that's why we're here," Minato admitted.

The Sandaime looked concerned, "Oh? Are you having problems, Minato?"

Minato shifted and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I wouldn't really call it a problem," he said, "But it does make me worried... You see, Harii-kun hasn't spoken... at all... And, well, it has us a little concerned."

"Ah, yes, I see," the Hokage agreed somberly, "Well, he has made a large cultural jump from his home country to here, so a little shock is only to be expected..."

"That's what I thought, at first, as well," Minato agreed, "But he doesn't respond to what we say at all. It's almost..." He hesitated uncertainly, "Almost as if he doesn't understand us."

For several seconds the old man didn't say anything. Then, abruptly, he laughed. Minato stared at him, aghast.

The Hokage was quick to reign himself. Still chuckling a little, he spoke, "I apologize, Minato, I shouldn't be laughing, but I thought you'd understood me before. Harii-kun comes from a country far away."

Minato continued to stare blankly, wondering what he was missing.

"I told you before," the Hokage continued, "He grew up there and the native language is called English."

"Yes, but Harii—" Minato started.

The Hokage grinned widely at his subordinate's confusion, "Harii-kun speaks his native language, of course."

"Harii-kun," the Hokage turned to the boy, abruptly switching between languages, "Are you settling in alright?"

The six-year-old's face lit up immediately at the first intelligible words he'd heard in days and he responded eagerly, "You can talk? I mean, you can talk English! Where am I? Why doesn't anyone else talk English?"

The old man chuckled and answered amiably, "You are in Konoha, Harii-kun, do you remember, we spoke before? You were a little out of sorts at the time."

Harry thought hard and decided the old man did look vaguely familiar. He couldn't remember any conversation, though.

"I'm afraid there aren't many people here who speak or understand English, Harii-kun," the Sandaime informed the boy, "You will have to do your best to learn our language now."

Frowning in determination, the six-year-old nodded.

The Hokage smiled at him, "Are you settling down well, though? Do you like living with Minato-san and Kakashi-kun?"

Harry glanced at the two people in question and shrugged self-consciously, "I guess," he agreed quietly, reminded of the reason he was with these new people to begin with, "They're... nice, I think... but they're kind of weird, too." He flushed as he realized what he'd said.

The Hokage laughed good-naturedly and Harry felt some of his anxiety ease.

The two shinobi could only watch in wonder as the Hokage and six-year-old conversed rapidly in some foreign language neither of them could begin to understand. At last, the Hokage turned back to them, a smile still lingering on his lips from laughing.

"Good news," he told Minato, easily switching back to his own native language, "Harii-kun is not mute and he seems to like living with you—he says you're mostly nice and a little strange, by the way."

"He must come from a very distant country," Kakashi commented, frowning slightly, "If he speaks a different language."

The Hokage nodded grimly, "Very true," he confirmed, "Harii-kun comes from very far away." He looked back at Minato, "I hope this alleviates some of your concerns, Minato-san."

"It does," Minato agreed, glad that the boy hadn't suffered brain damage in the attempted assassination. "But what do we do now? He needs to learn our language, doesn't he?"

"You teach him, naturally," the Hokage replied, raising an eyebrow, "Children pick these things up better than you might think. If he continues to be surrounded by the language, he will learn, in time."

"Can't you—" Minato started.

The Sandaime cut him off gently, "Now, Minato, you know I am a busy man. I don't have time to teach him. He will learn fine on his own. Is there anything else that you need?"

Minato sighed, a little disappointed despite himself, "No, Hokage-sama, thank you." He bowed and Kakashi did the same as the three were dismissed.

"Goodbye!" Harry called back in English, waving to the Hokage enthusiastically as he followed the others out. The amused old man called back in like.

* * *

Minato and Kakashi were gone again. They had returned the night before, but had disappeared again early that morning, leaving Harry, again, in the care of Minato's acquaintance.

Harry leaned on the table to get a better look at the pictures in the book she had laid out. Before turning the page, the red haired woman looked down at him and, meeting his eyes, she smiled. The boy smiled back, looking back at the page as she continued to read, pointing to pictures as she went. He couldn't quite understand her, but he'd never had anyone read to him before—it was a novel experience that he thoroughly enjoyed.

"O-jiisan came with lots of presents," the woman read, pointing to the picture of the gray haired man with an armful of packages, "O-jiisan is father's father. O-baasan brought her hugs and kisses; O-baasan is father's mother."

"O-jisan came with colorful fireworks," the woman had turned to the next page, depicting a middle-aged man with thinning black hair, bent over to light the fuse on a small rocket, "I watched with itoko as lights filled the sky. O-jisan is father's brother, and itoko is uncle's son, just like I am father's son."

The woman turned the page and opened her mouth to continue, but paused when she heard a sound at the door. Looking up, she smiled as it opened.

"Welcome back," she said, "How did it go?"

Minato stepped inside, moving aside to let a taciturn Kakashi in behind him, "As expected," he supplied, "The DNA is a match."

The woman smiled, looking down at the little boy beside her, "That's good news, isn't it? Now we know for sure that you're Kakashi-kun's otouto."

Harry just stared up at her without comprehension. The woman smiled again and he smiled back.

"It's nice to have these things confirmed, isn't it, Kakashi?" Minato asked.

The boy didn't respond, face blank.

The man sighed and shook his head, "Sorry for asking you to watch him today, Kushina-san," he apologized—her suspension was over and he knew she was leaving again in the evening.

The woman smiled, "It's fine, I don't mind. Harii-kun is a very nice young man."

Minato grinned, "That's good to hear," he said, "I have to take Kakashi in for the first part of the Jounin test tomorrow—I was thinking of having Obito and Rin watch him while we're gone."

Kushina nodded, "I'm sure they'd manage just fine, he's very well behaved."

"Hopefully they will," Minato agreed, turning to grin at his student, "Kakashi-niisan is going to be pretty busy for a while."

The masked teen shot him a glare.

The Jounin grinned unrepentantly, "We're aiming to get through to the finals this time."

Kakashi's glare turned to a glower, "We're aiming to win this time," he grumbled.

"That, too," Minato agreed cheerfully.

His student glowered.

* * *

"I can't believe you're actually going to be a Jounin soon, Kakashi-kun!" Rin exclaimed excitedly.

Kakashi grunted with disinterest and continued to check his equipment—he'd done it once already, and twice the night before, but figured you could never be too careful before a Jounin exam.

"He tried _last_ year," Obito put in sarcastically, "And he failed then, remember? What's to say this year will be any different?"

Kakashi glared at his teammate, "From the guy who failed the Chuunin exam twice, that's nothing you should be talking about," he stated, "Besides, the Jounin exam is a lot harder, and I'm going to pass it this year. You're going to have to start calling me captain."

"Never!" Obito cried, sticking a tongue out at the younger boy.

"Kakashi, do you have your papers? I can't find them," Minato asked, voice wafting out from the kitchen around the corner.

"I put them with my stuff last night," Kakashi said, "Didn't want to have a repeat of _last_ year."

"What happened last year?" Rin wondered curiously.

"Sensei thought he had the papers, but he forgot them," Kakashi stated dully, "I had to stall Hokage-sama while he Hiraishin-ed all the way back to the apartment to find them."

Minato laughed, rubbing the back of his head, "It worked out, in the end."

"Why do you have to go, anyway?" Obito asked, "We could be doing cool training while Kakashi's gone."

"It's just for the first day," Minato said, "He needs a sponsor present, a Jounin who will vouch for his ability, usually the Jounin instructor from his Genin squad."

"Which is you," Obito grumbled.

Rin smiled at him, "Come on, it'll be fun to watch Kakashi's little brother, anyway."

Obito thought about it for a moment: just him, Rin, and some kid who didn't even understand anything they said. He grinned; it might not be so bad, after all.

"I thought we could take him to the park," Rin added, to her teacher, "There'll be lots of kids there today since the Academy doesn't have classes during the examination days."

Minato grinned, "That's a good idea, maybe he can meet some of the other kids around his age!"

Kakashi slid his last kunai back into his pouch and stood from the table, "Sensei, I'm ready."

"Alright," the man joined him, "Did you say goodbye to your brother yet?"

The boy shot him a blank look and the Jounin raised an eyebrow. Eyes narrowing in annoyance, Kakashi turned back to the table, where Harry was finishing up his breakfast as he stared around at how busy everyone was.

"… Ja, Harii-san," he muttered before turning impatiently back to his teacher.

The man smiled—it wasn't exactly warm, but he could work with it. "Ja mata," he echoed, following after the Chuunin, "Harii-kun, be good for Rin and Obito!"

The six-year-old stared after them mutely.

* * *

Kakashi stepped up to the desk, handing over his papers—letters of endorsement from Jounin and Chuunin he'd worked on missions with before and the recognition of sponsorship signed by his teacher. The Sandaime accepted them and flipped through the pages briefly.

"Seems to be in good order, Kakashi-san," the older man confirmed, "Please wait with the other candidates."

Minato stood behind the desk with the other sponsors—waving at and greeting a few that he recognized, which was more often than not returned with silence and rolled eyes. Kakashi joined the other Chuunin up for promotion—all of them at least five years older than him, most even more. He ignored their stares, already knowing that most of his peers didn't like the fact that someone so much younger than them could rise above them in skill.

"We're expecting one more applicant," the Hokage announced, glancing at a clock on his desk, "We'll give her five more minutes, and then begin."

Kakashi waited impatiently with the rest, certain that whoever it was that was coming late was only doing so to try and get a mental edge over the opposition. When the door opened again, almost four minutes later, everyone turned to look at the woman who rushed in.

"Namiko-san," the Hokage acknowledged, "How good of you to finally join us."

The dark haired young woman flushed slightly, bowing briefly once she'd reached the desk, papers in hand, "My apologies, Hokage-sama… We were delayed."

The Sandaime raised an eyebrow and looked behind her, "Yes, and where is Tamaki-san?"

The woman turned around, a look of surprise on her face, then she scowled, "Tamaki-sensei! Get in here, now!"

"I won't!" Came a voice from outside.

A small ripple of laughter that started with the Jounin-sponsors invaded the Chuunin ranks.

"Tamaki-sensei, hurry up!" The woman called, stomping back to the door, "If you get me disqualified, I'm never going to speak to you again!"

"Promises, promises," the voice muttered.

The Hokage raised an eyebrow, lips lifted in amusement, "Tamaki-san, if you would please come in, then we can get started."

There was a brief silence—the dark haired woman watched the door expectantly—then the voice replied, resignedly, "… Hai, Hokage-sama…"

More laughter rippled through the room as the man entered, clothes soaking wet and clutching his pants up desperately—they were torn and wouldn't stay up on their own. The man scowled at the ground, head bowed so his wilted brown hair covered most of his blushing face. In the silence, a familiar chirping was heard and the man winced, blushing deeper as he pulled a cicada from his hair, squashing it self-consciously in his hand and jostling a small reed leaf to fall out, as well.

The Hokage's eyebrow rose further.

Namiko rolled her eyes and reached into a pouch to pull out a short coil of wire, holding it out to the older man, "Just tie them up already, sensei," she grumbled.

He took the wire without a word and promptly hid himself behind the group of Jounin. None of the shinobi pressed the issue, although a few chuckles were slow to die out. Kakashi just sighed—why couldn't these things ever happen the way they were supposed to?

The Hokage stood, his chair scraping against the floor a little as it moved back. The last of the laughter went silent and everyone turned their attention towards the man.

"First of all," the man started, voice strong and loud in the still room, "I would like to congratulate all of you on getting this far. You all started out the same way, as mere Genin, and I can remember sitting with each of you upon your graduations. You are all extremely talented individuals who have shown impressive skills; that said, I will warn you one last time never to underestimate your opponents. For each Jounin, there is someone out there stronger, faster, or smarter, you all still have a long way to go before you reach the top."

"Today we will begin with a series of instant death matches," the Hokage continued, "It will be a free-for-all in training grounds A through F; anyone who steps outside of the designated area will automatically be disqualified, anyone who is hit by another's technique is disqualified. This match will continue for five hours, or until one shinobi is left standing."

"At the end of the testing period, I will discuss your demonstration with the sponsors," the Hokage continued, "You will all report back here tomorrow morning at 0600 for further orders."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the Chuunin chorused dutifully.

The Hokage nodded, forming seals with his hands. He looked out at the group from under his hat, "The test will begin as soon as you are on the training grounds." He disappeared in a swirl of wind and leaves, with the Jounin immediately following his example and the Chuunin doing the same an instant later.

* * *

Harry stood uncertainly in front of the two teens, looking out across the park they'd arrived at. It was noisy—dozens of children ranging from younger than him to a few years older ran around everywhere, some in groups and some alone. Laughter and shouts and screams filled the air, and he seemed to be the only one who didn't know what to do.

After a moment, the six-year-old took a cautious look at the pair standing behind him. The girl was smiling, looking out over the park, and the boy was smiling, as well—looking at the girl. He sighed, wishing that nice lady that read to him was with him now.

Abruptly, Rin took her eyes off the park and looked down at the little boy, smiling warmly. "We're going to have fun today, Harii-chan!" She announced cheerfully, "What would you like to play?"

The boy stared up at her mutely.

Having expected that reaction, she gathered up the small boy's hand and started leading him to the playground. "I really used to like the swings," she confided in the child—Obito followed behind them a little less than enthusiastic. "Obito and I can push you on one!"

Harry allowed himself to be led to the swing set, staring at the children going back and forth on the hanging boards. He remembered that the park down the road from their house had one of these—he had only seen it in passing, on the way to and from school, since his aunt and uncle hadn't wanted him to be wandering around outside.

They waited until one of the swings was vacated and the girl led him over to it, lifting him onto the seat.

"Ready?" Rin asked, smiling at the boy.

Harry grabbed at the ropes, casting a nervous glance at the other children. They seemed to be having fun, but it looked a little scary to be swinging around like that.

Rin grinned, "Okay, here we go!" She said, grabbing the ropes and pulling the boy towards herself.

Once he was a few feet off the ground, she let go, allowing him to swing backwards. Harry's eyes widened in surprise and his hands tightened on the ropes, not entirely certain if he liked it yet.

"Obito! You should get behind him!" Rin chastised her teammate, who was standing to the side, watching. The dark haired boy nodded and made his way back around the swings.

Harry flinched as the girl pushed his swing again when he was at the highest point, making him go even faster. He glanced behind him to see the older boy take up position behind him, then turned his attention to the front again as he was pushed—this time from behind.

Rin stepped out of the way now—it was difficult to do much more than start someone off when standing in the front. She watched as the boy's face slowly began to light up, a small smile crossing his lips as he went forward for the fourth time, a spark of life in his dark green eyes.

Harry was quickly beginning to enjoy the feel of the wind in his hair. He tilted his head back, watching the clouds as he swung forward again, air blowing around his shaggy hair. There was a bank of dark clouds on the horizon, but they probably wouldn't arrive for another couple of hours. For now, he was enjoying himself in a way he never had before.

* * *

Kakashi cursed silently to himself, pressing flat against the ground as he waited for the other Chuunin to pass by his hiding place.

It was already an hour into the melee and the twelve-year-old had come to the conclusion that _everyone_ was out to get him. Sure, there had been a few skirmishes between some of the other Chuunin, but he'd been desperately fighting off two and even three at a time—he'd only just made it out of the last battle alive, and was taking a few minutes to regain his stamina.

He shifted slightly, joints stiff from laying in such an awkward position. He'd have to move soon, it was only a matter of time before he was found here.

As though in response to his thoughts, the boy felt a sudden surge of chakra behind him and rolled away and to his feet, jumping for the nearest tree branch just in time to avoid being pulled into the crumbling earth.

Eyes narrowed, he turned to face his attacker, not wasting a moment for recognition to set in. All he needed to know was that in this test all other Chuunin were his enemy.

He pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it into the clearing at the Chuunin's feet.

Predictably, the Chuunin jumped away, taking to the higher air of the trees, but Kakashi was already there, throwing a kick.

The other Chuunin blocked the kick and pulled an arm back for a punch, but Kakashi twisted his body around the arm he'd blocked with, and managed to avoid the punch, planting a palm-heel strike straight up into the man's chin.

The Chuunin grunted in pain as his head snapped up, and his eyes glinted angrily when he brought them back down to focus on Kakashi. He closed his hands around the twelve-year-old's arms and threw the boy across at another tree.

Kakashi skillfully manipulated his body in mid-air, landing with a skid on a branch of the tree and managing to slow his fall down enough with his chakra so that he barely hit the trunk.

The other Chuunin was already moving again, letting out a ferocious yell as he came down towards the boy, his whole body a dangerous weapon.

Kakashi quickly formed the sign for Kawarimi, but the blow never connected. He blinked—it looked like the man had disappeared in mid-air. A cry to his right drew his attention across and the first thing his eyes landed on was the Chuunin lying in a pile of splintered wood on the ground.

Broken branches gave testament to his decent, and the boy quickly raised his eyes to find whoever had done this.

"Hanaki-san, you are out of line," a Jounin Kakashi didn't recognize reprimanded from where he was standing on top of a high branch above the injured Chuunin, "Once you're hit, you are no longer allowed to participate."

The Chuunin groaned in response.

The Jounin turned to Kakashi, face unreadable, "Kakashi-san, I suggest you leave this area, others will have heard that."

Kakashi stared at him a moment longer before nodding, disappearing into the trees as soon as the motion was complete.

* * *

"What should we do next?" Rin wondered as they gave up the swing to another waiting child.

Harry looked around, eyes alight for new, fun things to do. This was way better than anything he'd done with the Dursleys—it was even better than being read to! His eyes paused as they landed on a tall slide; the children were taking turns riding down it, squealing and laughing in delight. It went fast, and Harry had found that he liked fast—it looked fun.

Reaching up, the boy grabbed the girl's hand, tugging slightly and pointing across at the slide.

"You want to go on the slide?" Rin asked with a smile, starting to walk in that direction, "Okay, let's go!"

The six-year-old happily walked beside her, excited at the prospect of this new game.

Obito followed behind them a little grudgingly—when were he and Rin going to get their alone time if Kakashi's brother kept dragging them along with him? Couldn't the kid play by himself?

With a sigh, the Uchiha looked down to catch sight of the child's excited face, and he smiled slightly. He hadn't seen the boy smile before, and decided that maybe it was alright to be dragged around with the kid, if only this once.

He frowned as a strange thought hit him abruptly.

Had Kakashi ever smiled like that?

* * *

Kakashi grit his teeth as he caught the bark of a branch with his hand, infused with chakra to stop his ungainly decent. The momentum sent him around the branch in a complete circle before he managed to land on his feet on top of it.

A barrage of kunai came at him from several directions and his eyes widened. He barely had time to form the necessary seal for Kawarimi, but took the opportunity to replace himself with a small log, which the kunai impaled and tore apart brutally.

He didn't take time to think of what would have become of him had he been a split-second slower. From his new vantage point, he threw a kunai of his own, pinning one of his attackers in the shoulder. The man grunted in pain, pulling it out and applying pressure immediately, then with a sound of annoyance, headed away from the fight.

There weren't as many Chuunin left now, Kakashi knew. He'd been the cause of at least five disqualifications by himself, and the original group had only been eleven. Things were going to get more difficult from here on out.

Taking a deep breath, Kakashi wiped sweat from his eyes and jumped from his hiding spot, knowing he'd given away his position when he threw his weapon and couldn't stay there.

* * *

The little boy sprawled on the grass, watching the clouds roll in with a neutral expression. He liked watching clouds—he'd done it often when his aunt took him outside to teach him about weeds and flowers.

"Looks like it's going to rain soon," Obito spoke up, eyes on the heavy gray clouds that were fast approaching.

"Hmm," Rin agreed.

They lay there in silence for several more minutes until Rin finally sat up. She glanced at her two sprawled companions and smiled slightly. Three hours had worn Harry out pretty well, and his eyelids were drooping in a way that made him look more like Kakashi than ever—that is, more like what she assumed Kakashi would look like if he weren't wearing his mask.

"We should go," the girl announced, "We don't want to get caught outside in the rain."

"Yeah," Obito agreed, continuing to lay where he was for a minute before lethargically getting to his feet.

Rin crouched down next to Harry and smiled down at him, catching his eyes, "Harii-chan, it's time to go home now."

The boy looked between her and Obito, then stood up, stretching with a yawn. Rin smiled—he was so _cute_! A noise behind her distracted her from the picture of cuteness, and she and Harry both turned to look at their third companion, who was rubbing his stomach sheepishly.

"I guess I'm a little hungry," the teen excused, laughing nervously.

Rin laughed, "On our way back, we should stop for dango."

Obito grinned, "Yeah! I'll bet he'll love dango!"

Together, the three of them headed away from the park. It was less crowded by now, many people having had similarly wary thoughts about the approaching storm as they had, but there remained a few who would stay a while longer, testing their luck until the last minute.

"Hey," Obito started after a few minutes, glancing across at his teammate, "Isn't it kind of weird that Kakashi can afford such a huge apartment?"

"Huh?" Rin asked, then frowned thoughtfully, "Well, he does have more experience than us, he probably gets more missions than the ones he takes with us."

"I guess…" Obito said reluctantly, "But how much do you think it costs? I mean, it's got _two_ bedrooms! What could he be doing with _two_ bedrooms?!"

Rin frowned, "Harii-chan and him had their futons in the same room, didn't they…"

"So, then, why would they need two bedrooms?" Obito demanded, perplexed.

"Well… his parents probably live there, too," Rin pointed out, "After all, he's even younger than us, so he probably still lives with them."

The boy blinked, "Oh, yeah… Do you think they're shinobi, too? Maybe they're on a mission right now or something."

Rin nodded knowingly, "Yes, probably."

"After all," Obito laughed, "Kakashi's parents couldn't be anything _but_ shinobi, right? I mean, he must have graduated a few years ago, so… When he was, like, seven or eight or something." He frowned, "I wonder what they're like?"

Rin frowned as well, "I don't know… Maybe if we keep watching Harii-chan once in a while, we'll meet them."

Obito laughed loudly, "Ha, ha! I wonder if his mom and dad wear those stupid masks, too?"

* * *

The dull _thunk_ of a kunai hitting wood was hardly enough to stare at, but Kakashi noticed his opponent's eyes widen slightly as he glanced at the object.

Kakashi took a quick look over, careful not to release his opponent's arm, or let up on the kunai battle the two were currently engaged in. His eyes widened as they landed on a smoking slip of paper tied to the handle of the weapon.

In mutual agreement, both Kakashi and his opponent pushed off of each other, barely jumping away before the tag exploded.

"Dammit, Kuhichi! Watch where you throw those things, idiot!" Kakashi heard the other Chuunin shout.

Kakashi steadied himself carefully on another branch, ducking to avoid a kick from another Chuunin. The man landed on the trunk of the tree, running around it for another shot, but Kakashi dropped from the branch, running an arm over his eyes to get the rainwater out of his vision.

It had started raining ten minutes ago; now it was pouring and even the trees didn't offer much shelter. Thunder grumbled overhead, and Kakashi imagined there'd be lightening, too, not that he could see the sky.

He couldn't see much of anything, actually. He couldn't see where the three Chuunin he'd been attacked by were lurking, and he could barely see the ground he was crouched on. It was nearly pitch black under a double canopy of clouds and tree leaves.

The only good thing he could think of was that his opponents couldn't see any better. He'd taken a good look at all the Chuunin when they first arrived, and there weren't any Uchiha or Hyuuga testing this year. Still, someone had probably paid enough attention to be able to estimate where he fell.

Soundlessly slipping out a kunai, Kakashi quietly moved, breathing a little heavy from the past four hours. He'd heard people say that the first part of the Jounin exam was easy. Just a simple sparring match. He called it an A-ranked pain in the butt. Things _never_ went as well as you wanted them to, and it was a lot easier to win a real sparring match than this kind of tag-sparring.

The other guy barely had to touch you and you'd be out for the count. It shifted your whole strategy of fighting. Often, in real battles, you'd find times when it's better to sacrifice a stab to the arm, or a cut to the side, gaining your advantage in that moment. But in this… pseudo-sparring, a single hit, no matter how inconsequential, meant immediate disqualification.

Kakashi spun around as his back ran into another body, slashing with the kunai in the same instant that he propelled himself back into the treetops.

"I found him over here!" A voice shouted from below.

Kakashi hastily jumped to another branch. Was it just him, or were things actually getting _darker_ still?

Suddenly, a flare off went twenty meters to his right, the almost blindingly bright light illuminating the whole area.

Immediately on guard, Kakashi jumped, heart beating frantically as he searched for any sign of opposition.

He brought his arms up in a cross guard just in time to block a flying kick, but was thrown backwards from the force. He skillfully adjusted his trajectory as much as he was able, twisting his body around, until he was able to land on another branch.

The twelve-year-old's eyes widened as his feet slipped on a rain-slicked patch of moss. Hastily, he sent chakra to his feet, but he was already falling again and the rain was blinding him. He wiped the water from his eyes once more—for once he wished he wore goggles like Obito—then immediately disengaged his chakra as he saw the other Chuunin standing above him, right side up on his branch.

Forcing himself to breathe, and thereby not panic, Kakashi quickly dug into the lower left pocket of his vest and pulled out a long coil of thin wire. His breath crystallized into fog in front of his face as he fell, but he ignored it, instead working his cold fingers expertly to wind the end of the wire around the handle of his kunai and through the eye at its base.

Tugging it secure, Kakashi glanced around for a target, then let the kunai fly towards another tree branch further away than the one he'd fallen from.

He allowed the excess wire to slide through his gloved fingers, resisting the temptation to look down—he knew the ground was fast approaching, he didn't have much time left.

The kunai soared over the branch and he sent a brief burst of chakra down the line, which caused the kunai to turn in mid-flight, wrapping around the branch. He tightened his grip on the wire and his downward trajectory was pulled into an arc.

Kakashi gasped in pain as his shoulders collided with the base of a large tree—he'd taken too long to stop his fall and had run into the thick protruding roots of the ancient plant. The realization had barely occurred to him when blinding pain cracked through his head as the back of his skull hit the hard wood a split-second after his back.

Everything went black and his thoughts were fuzzy, he just barely held onto who he was and what he was doing, and even that wasn't exactly clear at the moment.

The pain came back worse than ever, along with his vision, a second later, and it took Kakashi several seconds to realize that the unfamiliar weight on his chest belonged to the man who was holding him down.

In several more seconds he finally felt the tickle of metal against his neck and managed to grab onto enough of his cognitive abilities to roll his eyes down. The other Chuunin had a kunai pressed to his neck, the tip of the blade pushing through his mask. The man grinned, teeth and eyes shining slightly in the reflected light of the flare while the rest of his face was in shadow.

"Got you," he said with obvious pleasure.

"Congratulations," Kakashi mumbled dryly.

The grin fell from the other man's face and he shoved Kakashi a little as he got off of him.

Kakashi's eyes widened at the same instant as the other shinobi's, and he rolled to the side as the older Chuunin jumped, both of them just avoiding being skewered by almost a dozen kunai—as it was, another stinging pain was added to Kakashi's collection of injuries as one grazed his arm.

Head and back throbbing painfully, Kakashi pushed himself up a bit, out of the mud. He paused as his vision swam, darkness swallowing him again a second later. He held himself there for several seconds, on his hands and knees, waiting for his senses to return, but they didn't.

Belatedly, he realized the flare had gone out.

With a grunt of effort he pushed himself to his feet, then reached out blindly to steady himself on the very root he'd smacked into. He held a hand to his face, willing the dizziness to pass faster, and vaguely wondering if he had a concussion.

Finally, the moment passed, and he stumbled forward, away from the sound of clashing metal and fighting. He was going to have a killer headache tomorrow.

He hadn't gotten more than a hundred meters before he felt a presence suddenly beside him. Clutching a kunai, Kakashi turned, lashing out even before recognition could set in. Another roll of thunder sounded overhead.

His body disagreed with the sudden movement and the vision he'd managed to regain as he adjusted to the darkness for the last ten minutes swirled violently again, his legs wavered like rubber.

A hand caught his wrist before the kunai could make contact, and a second arm looped under his other arm, keeping him from falling. Kakashi was grateful—he didn't want to end up in the mud. Again.

"Steady there," a familiar voice said, almost drowned out by the rain and the wind, "You look awful."

"I hate these things," Kakashi grumbled, recognizing his teacher's voice and allowing the man to reposition him for easier escort.

The man issued a dry laugh, "Yeah," he agreed, "They're not as easy as everyone says they are, are they?"

"They schedule them for bad weather on purpose, don't they?" Kakashi asked.

Minato laughed again, this time with more feeling, "Maybe," he agreed, "What happened? Are you hurt badly?"

"I hit my head," Kakashi admitted, "I might have a concussion."

The blond man nodded, even though his student couldn't see it in the storm, "I'll drop you off at the hospital."


	4. Big Brother

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto. If Go was really a representation of the universe, I would use it to re-write history so I did.

I'm updating early this week (er, sort of)... in thanks to the many people who reviewed and the many communities that added this story. So, thanks. Enjoy the sort-of-almost-kind-of brotherly interaction.

A few notes... "MP" means "Military Police" not "Magic Points" or "Mana Points" or whatever you want to call those things you use to cast spells in RPGs.

Update: Kakashi _does_ use blood when he summons with his scroll (as was shown in the chapter _before_ the one I was quoting from). He doesn't use a scroll when summoning Pakkun during the Chuunin exams. From this I'm concluding that using the scroll makes more complicated summons (like when he summons multiple dogs) easier or something. Presuming Kakashi's young and not as experienced as his Naruto-era self, I don't think it's unreasonable to presume he would lean towards using the scroll every time he summons. Thanks for the correction, some-anime-gal!

Also, a translation note, "Konbanwa" means "good evening." Technically, the Hiragana is written with the character for "ha" not "wa"... the "wa" at the end is traditionally a particle (as in "tonight is.../konban wa...") however, "konbanwa" has become an accepted greeting, so that's the way I'm writing it... just thought I'd let you know it's not _technically_ spelled that way.

Chapter 4 – Big Brother

He knew there was something wrong the moment he entered the house. The last few days had been more awkward than the first, although they had been, at least, less tense.

It was clear Lily had bought his excuse, because she hadn't mentioned it since, although the atmosphere had been heavy with uncertainty and fear. Today if felt decidedly lighter, almost happy.

Warily, the man removed his shoes, choosing not to call out. He wasn't sure what could have changed, but he was sure that it wasn't anything good.

"James!"

He turned and forced a smile as Lily entered the room, grinning widely and practically _glowing_ with joy. Dread crept into the man's heart—she looked far too similar to his wife the day she'd announced they were going to have a baby. Revising his earlier estimations, he decided that this was definitely bad news.

Before he could open his mouth to ask her about the sudden change, the woman was right there, arms around his neck and lips pressed against his. Using every bit of his self-control, he managed not to push her away, and even reciprocated the affectionate gesture.

When she finally pulled back, a full three minutes later, she was grinning more broadly than ever, her lips full and rosy. He returned her smile with a slightly bemused one of his own.

"What was that for?" He asked lightly, with the air of innocent curiosity.

Lily pulled out an envelope, unfolding the parchment that had been inside, "It's from St. Mungo's," she explained, "They said there's no trace of illness in your system. Why didn't you just go there in the first place? They probably could have helped you faster than any medication."

The man felt his face heating up despite his own efforts to prevent it, and resigned himself to letting the blush show—it was probably appropriate, anyway. "Er… well, it's kind of embarrassing," he offered awkwardly, guessing St. Mungo's was the hospital James normally would have gone to, "I didn't want to risk running into anyone I knew…"

Lily giggled, "It doesn't matter anymore, you're fine now and we can get back to normal!"

"Maybe… we should wait until the week is over… just in case," he offered awkwardly, hoping the woman would agree.

A small frown formed on her lips, "James… Do you not want me anymore?"

His smile became even more strained, "Of course I still… want you, Lily," he replied awkwardly, forcing sincerity into his words, "I just don't want to risk you getting sick."

Lily rolled her eyes, "Don't you trust healers at all, James?" She asked in exasperation, "If they give you a clean bill of health, then I'm sure we'll be fine."

He really didn't want her to be sure they'd be fine. Glancing from the paper back to the woman, he hesitantly asked, "How do they… know, anyway?"

Lily had the grace to flush a little, "Well… I was worried, James… so I sent them a small sample of your… um…"

"Never mind," the disgruntled man interrupted with a sigh, "I don't think I want to know."

Lily laughed self-consciously, "But… it's good news, right? Now we don't have to worry about being together."

The man forced a grin that he hoped looked natural, "Yeah," he agreed awkwardly, "That's… that's great news."

* * *

Minato stepped into the apartment, stripping off his wet coat and shaking water from his spiky hair even before he bothered to greet any of the three children currently staring at him. Once he was out of his muddy sandals, he finally looked up, smiling at them. 

"Konbanwa," the man said cheerfully.

"You're finally back," Rin sighed, standing and moving across the room, away from the two boys. She looked around her teacher curiously, "Where's Kakashi-kun?"

"The hospital," Minato replied nonchalantly.

The girl's eyes widened, "What?!" She cried.

"The test's really that hard?!" Obito cried, jumping to his feet in surprise, "On just the first day?!"

Minato grinned, holding out his hands placatingly, "Kakashi will be fine, it wasn't anything serious," he assured the pair, "Just a mild concussion."

"_Just_ a mild concussion?!" Rin demanded, "Sensei, that's serious!"

"He's fine, Rin-chan," Minato insisted, "A bit of bed rest and he'll be ready to go tomorrow. Thanks, you two, for staying so late."

"We called our parents," Obito supplied with a shrug.

"We made dinner," Rin added, "There's some leftovers in the fridge—you can have them if you're hungry sensei…" She frowned, "I hope Kakashi-kun doesn't mind…"

Minato raised an eyebrow in amusement, "I'm sure he won't," he said, herding the two towards the door, "But you two better get home. We're going on a mission tomorrow, so you need your rest."

"But, Kakashi—" Rin started.

The Jounin's grin widened, "He won't be accompanying us this time," he said, "He'll be busy down at administration and with Harii-kun. So, meet me at 0700," he added, then paused, frowning, and looked between the two Chuunin, "Do either of you have an umbrella?"

Rin and Obito looked at each other, then shook their heads.

With a shrug, Minato picked one up from the corner, shaking it off a little since he'd thrown his wet coat on top of it earlier. He held it out, "You'll have to share this one," he said, "The rain will probably last until tomorrow morning, and I'll need the other one."

"Thank you, sensei," Rin said, taking the umbrella gratefully.

"Oyasumi!" Obito called, opening the door.

"Good night!" Rin echoed, following her teammate into the hall. She paused long enough to add, "Good night, Harii-chan!"

* * *

Minato lowered the umbrella, shaking it off as they left the drizzle of rain for the hospital foyer. Harry stared at the place with wide eyes, tucked close by the Jounin. Minato grinned down at him, resting the damp umbrella on his shoulder with one hand while he used the other to take the child's hand in his own. 

"We're going to see Kakashi-kun," he told the boy, "He was in the hospital last night. You were in the hospital before, too, remember?"

The boy stared at him.

"Come on, we have to check in," Minato said before leading the way to the front desk.

He exchanged brief words with the sleepy looking receptionist—it seemed her shift would be ending soon and she was looking forward to getting some rest after a long night. They were allowed in without any hassle—it helped that Konoha's Yellow Flash was recognizable to just about everyone in the village, with his bright yellow hair and his signature white coat.

Kakashi was in a room on the ground floor and Minato wasn't surprised to see the boy already strapping on his weapon pouches when they arrived. He looked a little better than he had yesterday—clean, at least.

"How are you feeling, Kakashi?" Minato asked, releasing Harry's hand as they entered the room.

Kakashi looked up at him, then down at Harry, then up at him once again. "… Fine."

"No lingering effects?" Minato pressed, "You don't feel dizzy or lightheaded?"

The Chuunin shot him an irritated look, "I said I'm fine."

"Well, today will be an easy day for you, anyway," Minato excused, "Just paper work. Ready to go?"

The boy was silent for a moment before returning his eyes to Harry, ignoring the question as he got to his feet, "Why is he here?"

"Kushina's on a mission," Minato supplied, "I'll be gone with Obito and Rin today, so you'll have to watch him."

Kakashi frowned, "I'll be busy."

"Not too busy," Minato assured him, "Besides, Harii-kun's a good boy." He smiled down at the six-year-old, "Aren't you, Harii-kun? You're not going to cause Kakashi-kun any trouble, are you?"

The boy stared at him blankly.

Kakashi scowled, eyebrows drawing together above his mask, "Whatever."

* * *

The three of them made it to the conference room just before six. Everyone else was already there—including Namiko and Tamaki-san. Most of them didn't look any worse off than Kakashi, but one man had bandages covering his right cheek back to his ear. They were all sitting around a large table, with steaming cups of tea set before them. 

As they sat—Harry between the two shinobi—Minato picked up the tea kettle, pouring some for himself and the two boys. The Sandaime waited until he was finished to speak.

"You all did well in the test yesterday," the Hokage started, "We were glad there were no serious injuries, and you were all able to make it here today." His eyes landed on Kakashi as he said the last part, and the boy repressed the urge to look away.

"Obviously, there were those that performed more impressively than others," the Sandaime continued after a moment, "And we discussed the results at great length yesterday evening. Only five of you will be continuing from here, but as for the rest of you, do not become discouraged, there is room for improvement in even the best."

As the Third fell silent, the Jounin beside him spoke, lifting a scroll to read off of, "The names of those that pass the first examination of the Jounin test are as follows…"

"Aburame Kurochi… Fujiwaka Yosaito… Hatake Kakashi… Jirei Sutomoke… and Tsunode Takai," the man read.

Namiko—the only woman at the table—groaned. She looked at Tamaki, seated next to her, "I guess I'll have to try again next year, sensei."

The Hokage's mouth quirked in a smile, but he continued seriously, "All those except whose names were called are now dismissed and will resume regular duties as soon as possible. You five that have passed will remain here for further instructions."

There was a general commotion as chairs were pushed out and people stood up, some of them exchanging comments as they left the room. Minato stood and Harry looked between him and Kakashi uncertainly. The blonde smiled, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"You'll be staying with Kakashi-kun today," he said, indicating the older boy, "Understand?"

Harry looked from him to Kakashi once more before nodding slightly and settling back in his chair again, looking a bit nervous as he was left with the older boy.

One of the Chuunin frowned as the door was closed behind the last nin, casting a suspicious look at the two white-haired boys. "Hokage-sama," he started, "What's that boy still doing here?"

The Sandaime raised an eyebrow in amusement, "Kakashi-san performed exceptionally well in the exam this year," he commented, "All things considered."

The man frowned, "I was talking about the other brat," he growled.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed to glare at the man, but he didn't say anything.

"Harii-kun is the younger brother of Kakashi-san," the Hokage explained calmly, "He will be accompanying Kakashi-san today." He raised an eyebrow at the Chuunin, "I trust you don't have a problem with this?"

The man's frown deepened, "I don't mean to question your judgment, Hokage-sama," he said carefully, "But doesn't a child compromise the security of this meeting?"

"Normally, yes," the Hokage agreed, "However, Harii-kun is an exception to this rule, as he has recently returned from a foreign land and does not understand our language."

Several of the Chuunin frowned at that, and another man spoke up, "Hokage-sama, I wasn't aware Hatake had a younger brother."

The Third turned sparkling eyes to the man and replied, "Ah, but there are many things you are not aware of, aren't there, Yosaito-san?"

The man flushed slightly, but agreed, bowing his head, "Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Then, if there are no further complaints, let's continue with our business," the Hokage said, not waiting for anyone to voice possible further complaints.

"We have a bit of paperwork for all of you to complete," the man continued, gesturing to a small table that stood by the door, holding a large stack of white envelopes, "You have until 1200 today to complete them and bring them to me in my office, sealed. Please don't be late."

"The next portion of the test will take place in the next five weeks," the Third explained, "They will be individual examinations and you will receive further details upon obtaining your summons." Slowly, he pushed back his chair and stood, "Now... I will leave you to your work."

The Chuunin slowly began to stand as the Hokage left the room, crossing to the table to take one of the envelopes from the top of the stack. Kakashi waited for the others to get theirs first, taking a second look at those who had passed the first leg of the test with him.

Kurochi appeared to be a typical Aburame, wearing dark sunglasses and a tan, high-collared jacket with most of his skin covered. Kakashi didn't remember running into him the day before. He was glad that he hadn't needed to deal with any of the man's bugs, but a little disappointed that he hadn't gotten the chance to spar against one of their clan.

Fujiwaka Yosaito was a tall man, with his hitai-ate tied around his head in the style of a bandana. No hair was sticking out the bottom, or giving the material a normal, bumpy appearance, leading the boy to believe he was bald. He was young and wide-shouldered, probably only nineteen or twenty years old.

Tsunode Takai was the youngest, besides Kakashi. His brown hair was almost as messy as Harry's, and his build was lean. He looked seventeen, but walked beside Yosaito, sitting next to him at the table. The two had probably worked together many times in the past, and upon closer inspection, Kakashi was pretty sure they were two of the three he'd been fighting in the end.

Jirei Sutomoke had dark hair and appeared a little older, maybe twenty-one or twenty-two. He stood aloof from the others, keeping to himself almost as much as the Aburame.

As Sutomoke began heading back to the table, Kakashi stood and went to the small table to retrieve his own envelope, the last one there. Giving it a cursory glance—just in case someone had tampered with it—the boy made his way back to the table. Silently, he took his seat again beside Harry, reaching to pull a small brush and ink well closer to himself from the center of the table.

Kakashi immediately set to work, sliding the papers from the large envelope and glancing through them. It seemed pretty standard. The usual information including age, weight, height and other mundane necessities first, followed by a dozen blank pages for a formal report of his exam experience. Then there were a few less usual pages, including questions on personal fighting techniques and jutsu. There was another dozen or so blank pages at the end.

With a silent sigh, Kakashi lifted his brush and set to work.

Calligraphy had never been the boy genius's strong suit. He'd only been in the Academy for his first year, and had been able to write well enough for his own age group, but being able to write like a five or six-year-old wasn't particularly impressive once one reached the rank of Genin or Chuunin.

His writing had improved slightly since then—when his teacher found out how miserable his calligraphy was, he'd devoted many unoccupied evenings to trying to get the boy's writing up to specs, but it hadn't gone over well. It didn't seem as important as the other things he was learning, and it hadn't hampered his ability on the field, so he didn't put much effort into it.

Now, though, he was writing as well as he could, hoping it would at least come out as legible.

* * *

Kakashi glanced down at Harry as the younger boy sighed tiredly. For the last hour he'd been sitting in that chair, fidgeting and occasionally dozing off for a few minutes at a time. Even to Kakashi he seemed painfully bored. 

There were only four of them in the room now—Yosaito and Takai had finished a few minutes earlier. Harry squirmed uncomfortably as his stomach made an interesting grumbling noise. After a moment's thought, the twelve-year-old stood, pushing back his chair. Harry looked up at the movement, eyes slightly glazed and absent-mindedly rubbing his stomach.

"Hungry?" Kakashi asked.

The boy stared at him blankly for a moment before a small smile crossed his lips. "Hai," he said, standing as well.

Kakashi hesitated, blinking in surprise. As far as he knew, it was the first time the younger boy had spoken since he arrived ten days ago, excluding the brief conversation he'd apparently had with the Hokage. He recovered quickly, expression never changing, and gathered his papers to stuff back into his envelope. Tucking the envelope under his arm, he turned from the table, "Okay, let's go."

"... Hai," Harry said again, following him from the room.

The weather was beginning to turn warm, and the air was muggy, sticky with the not-quite-rain that hung in the air. Kakashi almost regretting coming out—the humid atmosphere made his mask cling uncomfortably. Harry was obviously enjoying being able to stretch his legs a little, though.

Kakashi led the way to a nearby restaurant and ordered for both of them. The two brothers were silent as they waited for their food. When it arrived, Harry quickly reached for his chopsticks—he'd initially been very clumsy with the utensils, but had improved greatly since. Kakashi reached out to stop him, letting his gloved hand halt the movement of the boy's. Harry looked up with wide eyes.

The older boy took the chopsticks from the six-year-old's unresisting fingers and held them up before the staring boy's eyes. "Hashi," he said blankly, his tone as dull as ever, "They're called hashi."

Harry stared at him as he spoke before slowly lowering his gaze to the chopsticks again. He reached out, hesitantly repeating, "Hashi..."

With a twist of his wrist, Kakashi allowed the boy to take them. He picked up his own chopsticks and snapped them apart, using them to point to his plate as he said, "Yakisoba."

Harry blinked, looking the older boy up and down before hesitantly capturing a noodle with his own chopsticks and repeating, "Yaki... soba?"

Kakashi nodded and fell silent, turning his attention to his food.

Harry smiled slightly at the older boy before returning his own attention to breakfast, as well. He still wasn't sure what to make of the other white haired boy, but he thought that, maybe, he wasn't so bad after all.

Once they'd finished, Kakashi paid and they headed outside. It was even hotter, the sun beating down mercilessly. Harry trailed lethargically behind the elder Hatake. The twelve-year-old stopped abruptly, catching a pair of shuriken single-handedly without even a scratch. There were gasps of surprise as pedestrians hastily stepped off the road, away from the attack. Harry looked up, eyes wide, to see the other boy now stood with the shuriken spinning on his fingers.

Kakashi lifted his eyes, gaze landing on the young man standing on the roof of a building across the road. He frowned as the face registered in his memory.

"Hanaki-san," he acknowledged coolly.

"Brat," the man snarled in reply, "You made a fool of me yesterday, but don't think for an instant that you're better than me."

Kakashi snorted, turning away from the man to face the road again, "Whatever you say, I don't care."

Hanaki watched with ever rising anger as the twelve-year-old began to walk away. He growled—he would not be disrespected by a brat almost half his age!

Kakashi blocked a kick, allowing the energy to slide him back and gain some distance from his attacker. It didn't really buy him much time as he was once again blocking blows a second later. Hanaki pulled out a kunai and Kakashi blocked with his own, reluctantly dropping his envelope in favor of protecting his life. Twisting the weapon, he forced the other from the man's hand.

Taking things to another level, Hanaki formed a quick succession of seals and two forms began to rise from the ground, taking form in the image of their maker. Kakashi's eyes narrowed, body tensing for action.

All three men attacked at once. Kakashi impaled his kunai in the clone to his left, only to find himself unable to remove it again. The earth around the knife pulled, sucking the weapon from his hand and into the clone's flesh. The copied face of Hanaki smiled.

Kakashi cursed under his breath and fended off attacks from the other two before leaping backwards, a small burst of chakra propelling him to the roof behind him. Upon landing he wasted no time to free another kunai from his pouch, simultaneously slipping a small scroll from one of his pockets. Swiftly, he cut a clean line in his thumb, the scroll carefully balanced between two fingers.

In one fast motion he unrolled it and swept his thumb across it, leaving a line of blood on the paper. Just as quickly it was rolled up once more and the boy flashed through a set of seals, unhampered by the scroll still in his hands.

Hanaki and his clones landed on the roof just as Kakashi was finishing the last of the seals—the dog. He frowned at the other ninja a second, then slammed his hand—scroll and all—into the ground.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**"

Kanji exploded out of the paper, absorbed immediately by the ground. Nothing happened for a moment and the three figures moved forward to attack, only to falter as two large dogs suddenly jumped out of nowhere, leaping upon the clones on either side of Hanaki and tearing at them fiercely. The Chuunin started in surprise, distracted long enough for Kakashi to nail him with a side kick that sent him hurtling back down to street level and into the face of the building across the street.

Kakashi followed swiftly, leaving his dogs to deal with the clones. He pressed his attack as the older man was slowly getting back to his feet. Roughly, Kakashi pushed Hanaki up against the side of the building, kunai at the man's throat.

"Give up now and maybe I won't press charges," Kakashi advised, cold eyes narrowed in anger.

Hanaki glared back furiously, eyes burning with hatred. Kakashi frowned slightly as the man's eyes slipped to the side, focussing on something behind him. With a cruel grin the man's hand moved, a tiny, swift motion that sent a senbon flying past the twelve-year-old.

It only took him an instant to realize the man's strategy and he angrily shoved Hanaki aside before turning and running after the large needle, aimed squarely at his brother's face.

Harry stood frozen, staring as everything happened far too quickly for him to comprehend. He recognized the danger he was in when he saw the object thrown in his direction, but it was coming too quickly and he didn't have time to move.

It was less than half a meter from the boy and Kakashi was running out of time. In desperation he threw the kunai from his hand. The two weapons struck, ricocheting off each other, but they were both very close to the younger boy.

Harry gasped in pain as the kunai grazed his cheek. Raising a hand, eyes wide, he felt the warm blood beginning to spill out. Kakashi barely saw the injury before he was tackled from behind.

Distracted as he was, the twelve-year-old wasn't able to react fast enough and went down, hissing painfully as the other Chuunin's knee dug into his back, still sore from the night before.

"You allowed yourself to be distracted," Hanaki taunted, a victorious smirk on his lips.

Kakashi gritted his teeth to keep from crying out as the man shifted, pulling his head back by his hair to position a kunai at his throat. He glowered as best he could, "You attacked a civilian of Konoha," he growled, "The same you swore to protect."

Hanaki shrugged the accusation off, "He wouldn't have been hurt badly, even if you hadn't knocked my needle off course."

"He would have died," Kakashi growled back, "Your aim was off."

The man on top of him hesitated, frowning as he reviewed the line of attack in his mind. Suddenly he was tackled from above as Kakashi's canine companions leapt on him from the roof, all teeth and claws and fearsome growls. Kakashi winced as the man was pushed off of him, kunai drawing a line of blood on his throat.

Kakashi turned around, on his feet in an instant, glaring down at the man his dogs had successfully subdued. Hanaki was kneeling, one dog with its mouth clamped on his left arm and the other holding his neck threateningly between fanged jaws.

Saying nothing, Kakashi approached, drawing a coil of wire from his pocket. He swiftly and expertly moved about, tying the man snugly, securing him so even a Chuunin wouldn't be able to escape easily.

The dogs backed off, still standing nearby and growling fiercely as Kakashi finished—the boy made sure to pull the bonds tight before tying them off.

"I'm sure the MP will think of something to do with you," he commented, returning the man's glare coldly, "At the very least you'll have 'traitorous activity' on your permanent record. You're lucky I'm fast or you'd be getting the death sentence."

Hanaki didn't respond, glaring hatefully at him. Cold expression never wavering, Kakashi walked pointedly away from the man, crossing the street to his forgotten paperwork. He frowned as he picked up the beat-up envelope, wrinkled, torn, and dirty. Hopefully, he'd be able to salvage the papers inside.

Turning again, the Chuunin crossed back over to Harry. His dogs growled one last time at the man before reluctantly turning away and following their master.

Kakashi looked down at the younger boy mutely for a moment. Harry's hand still was covering the cut on his cheek, blood dripping from between his fingers. Kakashi reached into another pocket, pulling out some bandages and tape and quickly, quietly, bandaged the boy's wound. Harry stared at him the whole time, mutely, with tears in his eyes.

Once finished, he again turned down the road, "Let's go."

Harry cast an anxious glance at the dogs before hastily running after the older boy, "Kakashi-san!"

Kakashi paused, looking back, and was surprised when the boy immediately gripped his hand, clinging to it tightly. He stared down at the teary eyed boy for a moment before his expression softened minutely.

"... Kakashi-niisan," he corrected, voice neutral as he indicated himself.

The boy stared up at him with wide eyes before hesitantly repeating, "Kakashi... niisan."

"... Hai," Kakashi confirmed, turning again to lead the boy back to the office, his two dogs trailing protectively behind them.

* * *

It took Kakashi another three hours to finish his paperwork—after requesting a new copy from the Hokage's assistant while the Sandaime was in a meeting—he was, unsurprisingly, the last Chuunin to finish when he turned in his stack of paper, just a few minutes before noon. 

The Hokage looked up at him, eyebrow raised, "You're the last one. Cutting it a little close, aren't you, Kakashi-san," he commented lightly.

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

The old man's gaze lowered to Harry, "I heard about what happened," he commented, "Neither of you were hurt badly, I hope?" He glanced up at Kakashi again.

"No," Kakashi confirmed, "Just a scratch."

"I'd like you to turn in a report on it, regardless," the Sandaime said, "Hanaki-san will be dealt with after I know the entire story."

Kakashi nodded, "Hai, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage turned to Harry again and spoke in English, "You are alright, Harii-kun?"

"Y-yes," the boy answered quietly, "I mean... hai... Kakashi-niisan protected me."

The Hokage smiled at the two boys with a knowing expression before dismissing them, "That will be all."

With a bow—which Harry copied belatedly—Kakashi left with his brother.

When they returned home Kakashi settled down to study a scroll—he was still trying to master the finer points of Shunshin no Jutsu, which had a lot of small nuances making it difficult to fully master. He'd rather not flicker into a solid wall or a tree, he'd heard far too many gory stories from older shinobi to risk something like that.

Harry, however, had only one thing on his mind. The dogs that had come to help Kakashi and him had disappeared to somewhere just before they entered the Administration Building again. He couldn't remember having seen dogs around the apartment before, but for them to listen so well to Kakashi, they must be around _somewhere._ Random alley dogs wouldn't have acted like that.

The young boy looked around everywhere, searching for any sign that dogs lived, or even visited, the small apartment. He was a little scared of the two dogs—they'd seemed quite vicious when they attacked that man—but they'd been docile as they followed the two boys through the streets, so maybe they'd just been protective. Whatever they were, Harry found himself curious, and just a little concerned.

He smiled in triumph when he found a blue dish in one of the cabinets in the kitchen, next to a half empty bag of dog biscuits. Still, there were no sign of the actual dogs themselves. Maybe they were just alley dogs, and Kakashi brought them home to give them treats sometimes. But Harry didn't think the landlady would like that very much—he knew his aunt hadn't been too happy when his cousin had tried to hide a puppy in his room once.

Looking around in frustration, Harry decided just to ask Kakashi about the dogs. Maybe the other boy would show him where they lived. Pulling out the slightly gnawed bowl, he padded into the living room.

"... Kakashi-niisan," he called out to get the older boy's attention.

Kakashi frowned slightly under his mask, marking his spot on the scroll with a finger before looking up, expression blank. He looked at Harry, then glanced at the bowl in his hand, frowning a bit more—just what did the kid want now?

"What?" The Chuunin asked, gaze settling on the boy again.

Harry shifted, frowning. He didn't understand much of the new language he was surrounded by, and had no idea how to ask Kakashi about the dogs. Still, he had to try something.

"Doggy," the little boy said in English, pointing to the bowl. His eyebrows drew together as he tried to think of a way to ask where they were, but the words eluded him, so he continued in his own language, "Where do the doggies live?"

Kakashi blinked at him, expression—what little was visible—remaining unreadable. "Doggy...?" He repeated the foreign word blandly.

"Doggy," Harry repeated with a nod, pointing to the dish again.

Kakashi looked from Harry to the dish, eyebrows drawing together slightly, "Ninken...?" He asked uncertainly—did the younger boy realize the dish belonged to his dogs?

"Hai!" The boy confirmed eagerly, hoping that the older boy had guessed what he was saying correctly.

Kakashi blinked, staring at him for a moment longer before understanding dawned on him, "I see... you're wondering where my dogs are," he mused—it had been the first time the younger boy had seen them, so it was natural for him to be a bit confused.

The twelve-year-old debated with himself for several seconds, trying to decide whether to bring them out or not. At length he drew a second scroll from one of his pockets—it wouldn't hurt.

Harry watched, eyebrows drawn together in confusion as the boy set the scroll he'd been reading aside, taking the new scroll in both hands. He unrolled the scroll then paused to bite down on his thumb—Harry winced. The twelve-year-old quickly smeared his blood onto the paper and rolled it back up just as the paper began to absorb his blood.

He formed symbols with his hands around the scroll, the practiced movements only a little more awkward than usual with the impeding presence of the small scroll, then he slammed the scroll into the ground.

Kanji symbols jumped from the scroll to the ground like lightning, and smoke and dust exploded out from around it. Harry wrinkled his nose, stepping back a bit from the clouded air, but it cleared away a moment later to reveal one of the dogs he'd seen earlier, a medium sized orange and white dog with short fur and a head band like Kakashi's tied around its neck.

"Harii-san... this is Ryou-kun," Kakashi introduced, patting the dog on the head.

Ryou-kun looked around before letting out a questioning yip to its master. Kakashi smiled thinly under his mask and concisely explained to the dog that he'd only summoned him to say hello. That settled, the dog stepped over to the younger boy, standing almost as tall as the six-year-old.

Harry stared at the dog with wide eyes, not sure what to do now that he was faced with it.

As though sensing his fear—and really, that's what the dog did—the large creature carefully lay down in front of him and rolled over, yipping for attention as his tail thumped against the floor. Rolling his eyes, Kakashi complied with the demand and knelt down, scratching the dog's stomach.

Harry hesitated a moment before kneeling on the dog's other side and hesitantly reaching out a hand. Kakashi didn't say anything, but Harry was encouraged by the silence—if it was dangerous, he was sure the older boy would have told him. He carefully touched the soft fur on the dog's belly, smiling at the feel of it under his hand.

"Ryou-kun?" He asked, looking up at the older boy for confirmation.

Kakashi nodded, "Aa."

The dog rolled back to its feet, nuzzling the boy's hand and yipping another question to its master. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, looking down at the pair as he got to his feet as well.

"I don't think so, Ryou-kun," he commented coolly, "It'll be a long time before Harii-san can handle a pack of his own."

The dog barked in reply and licked the boy's face—Harry giggled in delight, scratching the dog's head with both hands. Ryou-kun lolled, eyelids heavy and tail wagging lazily as Harry hit his favorite spot. Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"You're becoming spoilt," he accused.

The dog's reply was something between a whine and a moan as he leaned into the little boy's touch and Kakashi shook his head with exasperation. He settled back down on the couch, opening his scroll again to continue where he'd left off.

He didn't get far before Harry said his name again. Looking up, he found both boy and dog looking at him imploringly. The boy raised an eyebrow. Harry said something—what, he didn't know—and Ryou-kun pushed his bowl forward with a paw. That Kakashi understood.

After a moment, he nodded again, then held up two fingers, "But only two, Harii-san."

The boy stared at him quizzically for a moment before nodding and holding up two of his own fingers, "Ni," he repeated.

Kakashi nodded and watched after the two as they went into the kitchen to find the dog treats.

* * *

"Uwaah," Minato stretched with a loud yawn as he entered the apartment, dropping his vest and coat by the door, "I'm back—that mission took longer than expected!" 

"Ohayo, sensei," Kakashi acknowledged from the small table where he and Harry were finishing their breakfast—a conglomeration of rice and whatever leftovers Kakashi had been able to find in the fridge.

"Ohayo, sensei," Harry echoed.

Minato blinked, looking at the pair, then grinned widely, "Ah! Harii-kun! You're talking now, that's great!"

The six-year-old blinked up at him blankly.

"It's nothing new, sensei," Kakashi stated coolly, "Harii-san has been talking since yesterday, after all."

"It's still great, even if it was yesterday," Minato said cheerfully, "Did you help him out, Kakashi-kun?"

Kakashi shrugged, "We didn't make any breakfast for you, sensei, because we didn't know if you were coming."

"Okay," Minato moved past the table to the kitchen, stomach suddenly grumbling at the prospect of food, "I'll just find something for myself. Did everything go alright yesterday?"

"Fine," Kakashi said simply.

"We aren't going to have training today," the Jounin added, "Obito and Rin are exhausted. If you want, we can go out later to practice together."

The Chuunin nodded, "Hai."

"I'm pretty tired myself," Minato added with another muffled yawn, picking up an old box of take-out and sniffing experimentally. It didn't smell too bad so he dug into it cold, wandering back over to the table, "I'll take some rest after this, you don't mind watching Harii-kun for a little while longer, do you?"

Kakashi shrugged, "I have to stop by Administration."

"Oh?" The man asked curiously.

"It's just to turn in a report," Kakashi said, "Harii-san can come, too."

Minato frowned, "What kind of report?"

"Just a report," Kakashi replied nonchalantly, "There was an incident yesterday."

The Jounin's frown deepened further and he set down his food, turning his full attention to his subordinate, "What _kind_ of incident, Kakashi?"

Kakashi shrugged, "It wasn't a big deal—we're both fine."

His words made the Jounin look over both of the boys more closely—Kakashi looked the same as the last time he'd seen them, but Harry was sporting a small bandage on his left cheek. Immediately the blonde started in concern, "Harii-kun! Are you okay? Kakashi, what happened?"

The Chuunin sighed inwardly and quit beating around the bush. He adopted as formal a stance as he could while sitting at the breakfast table, "Yesterday at approximately 0845 Hanaki-san confronted me as Harii-san and I made our way back to the Hokage Tower after breakfast. He instigated a fight and when I tried to allay him peacefully he attacked Harii-san. I took steps to minimize the danger to Harii-san and forcefully subdued Hanaki-san, leaving him for the MP to pick up. Hokage-sama asked me afterwards to write up a detailed report and turn it in to him today."

Minato blinked, then frowned, "Hanaki-san did this?" He questioned, "He has a bad attitude."

"He's a competent Chuunin," Kakashi returned.

"Still, he shouldn't hold onto grudges against his allies," Minato said unhappily.

"Hokage-sama will deal with him," Kakashi said.

Minato sighed but didn't reply—if it weren't for the war, Hanaki-san would be punished harshly for his actions. Attacking a comrade was a serious offense, and attacking a civilian even more so. Unfortunately, Konoha _was_ at war, and since no one had been seriously injured it was likely Hanaki would get off with a sharp reprimand and some time at the front lines—of course, that in and of itself could be deadly.

"Has he been to the hospital?" Minato asked at length, picking up his breakfast again.

Kakashi frowned at him, "Sensei, it was only a small scratch."

Minato frowned back, "Take him today, after you turn in your report. Even though it's only a small scratch, it may get infected if left untreated."

"I disinfected it," Kakashi replied defensively.

Minato smiled slightly, "I'm sure you did, Kakashi-kun," he agreed, "But remember, Harii-kun isn't from around here. Because of that, his immune system isn't used to the same things ours are and he'll be more susceptible to infections and diseases that he might not have been surrounded by at home. That's why it's important to get him professional medicine, even if his injury doesn't seem very serious."

Slowly, Kakashi nodded, absorbing the information, "Hai, sensei." He glanced down at Harry, addressing the boy, "Are you done?"

Harry looked up at him curiously but didn't respond. Kakashi glanced into his bowl to find it empty and stood, clearing the table. Once done, he beckoned to the boy again, "Come on, Harii-san," he said, "Let's go."

"Hai, Kakashi-niisan," Harry replied dutifully, standing and following the older boy.

Minato grinned widely at the form of address, but Kakashi caught his amused eyes with a glare that promised pain if he dared to laugh. The Jounin grinned innocently until his student was outside and closing the doors and he was unable to hold back his laughter any more. Kakashi scowled but ignored it.


	5. Edge of the Forest

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_ or _Harry Potter_, as I believe I am making clear with the fact that I am not actually rolling in money as I type this.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm gonna get a big head before long, but that's okay because it gives ideas more room to bounce around in it, right? Anyway, I hope this story continues to live up to your expectations.

The Jutsu Sakumo uses in the beginning is styled after Jiraiya's Fire Sealing Jutsu, as well as several other, similar sealing techniques. _Fuuinjutsu_ - Sealing technique / art of sealing (however you want to say it). _Kengeki Houin_ - Weapons seal... I think. (We know it's possible to seal weapons because Tenten, for one, has used weapons sealed inside a scroll... we just don't know how they got there.) This technique is, obviously, made up.

_Kohago_ also isn't canon... I find it hard to believe that shinobi would be dumb enough to store all their eggs in one basket, so to speak, so I gave them outposts. This is one of them. Theoretically, this would be where clients would go to request missions. They could then be escorted to Konoha if it was deemed necessary... well, it _is_ supposed to be a _hidden_ village, and I also don't think they'd be dumb enough to let a bunch of civilians know where they were. Civilians would be pitifully easy to break under interrogation. They'd be lucky to last three minutes with the likes of Morino...

Chapter 5 – The Edge of the Forest

He flicked his sword with a flourish, ridding it of imaginary blood, then walked across to where he'd left the sheath. He slid it into its protective casing, picked up his T-shirt and pulled it over his head, then grabbed the large, round-framed glasses beside it and put them on, as well.

The exercise had done him well, serving the double purpose of working off his frustration and clearing his mind at the same time.

Picking up the last item, he unrolled the scroll in a fast, practiced motion, just far enough to reveal a large, empty circle of intricate kanji. Setting it on the ground, he placed his katana across from him and formed several swift hand seals.

"Fuuinjutsu," he said quietly, slamming his hand down in front of the scroll and allowing the chakra to flow from him into it, "Kengeki Houin."

The sword glowed briefly, enveloped in blue chakra, and the seal on the paper glowed in resonance. The man maintained his concentration, watching sternly until the sword lifted from the ground and was sucked into the small circle on the paper, appearing to melt into the bold lines of the kanji for katana.

He waited for the chakra to fully disappear, then scooped up the scroll and tied it, slipping it into a pouch hidden against his body.

The sun had risen a short while ago, but he hadn't seen anyone out yet. He guessed he still had another hour or two before Lily woke. That would be plenty of time.

As he made his way further into town he ignored the few people who started to stir, fully intent on his destination.

A small bell rang above the door as he entered the 24-hour drug store. Without even glancing at the tired-faced clerk at the counter, he made his way through the shelves of off-the-shelf medication until he found what he was looking for.

He spent a minute scrutinizing the different varieties available before choosing something that claimed to be 90 effective if taken within 72 hours. Grabbing the small box of pills, he made his way to the front.

The clerk looked from the pills to him and back, expression dubious, "You know what these are, don't you, Mr. Potter?"

Sakumo stared at him dully, mastering the urge to roll his eyes, "Of course I do."

The other man tilted his head thoughtfully, "I thought you wanted to have a kid?"

"... Something came up," Sakumo replied with some annoyance—leave it to him to be impersonating one of the most gossipy males in England.

When he didn't say anything more, the clerk shrugged and rang up his purchase, "Alright, I was just asking. Birth control doesn't actually _control_ anything, it helps _prevent_ conception."

Sakumo didn't reply, waiting silently until the man put the pills in a bag and told him his total. He swiftly handed over the money and left without a word.

Only once he was back on the street again did he allow himself a small smile—it was time to go home and make breakfast for his wife.

* * *

"It looks like it's healing just fine, Hatake-san," the medic assured the young shinobi as he put a new bandage on Harry's cheek, "I don't see any sign of infection. Keep it covered a few more days and clean it out with disinfectant and I'm sure Harii-kun will be as good as new before he knows it." He smiled at the boy as he helped him slide off the examining table. 

"Would you like some candy, Harii-kun? I think there's some around here somewhere," he turned to open one of the cabinets in the room.

"Sweets are a completely unnecessary and unflattering intake of sugar and chemicals," Kakashi put in disdainfully, "Harii-san doesn't need any."

"Er," the smile slipped off the older man's face. He glanced uncertainly between the two brothers before uneasily relenting, "Yes, Hatake-san." Closing the door and turning his back on the cupboards again, he hastily dismissed them, "Well, then, just bring him back if anything seems to be wrong with him."

Kakashi nodded silently and beckoned to Harry before turning to the door, "Let's go, Harii-san."

Harry looked between the older boy and the medic before hurrying after his brother with a mumbled, "Hai."

It didn't take long to reach the Hokage Tower. Harry trailed behind Kakashi as he approached the Chuunin at the mission desk, waiting patiently in line for the three shinobi in front of him to receive their missions.

The Chuunin looked up at him, frowning slightly, "I don't think I have a mission for you today, Kakashi."

Kakashi pulled out an envelope from one of his back pockets and held it out, "I'm turning in a report."

The older shinobi blinked, frowning as he looked down at his documents, "Ah... What mission is that for? I don't see anything here saying you're behind..."

"It's a report on the incident involving Hanaki-san yesterday," Kakashi supplied.

"Eto..." The shinobi regarded his notes again before helplessly shaking his head, "I... Sorry, but I don't have any record for that..."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly in irritation, "Just give this to the Hokage," he said, holding out the envelope again.

The older Chuunin shook his head again, "I can't take unsolicited paperwork," he argued, "Are you sure you weren't supposed to bring it somewhere else?"

Kakashi stared at the man silently for several seconds before tucking the envelope away again, "Never mind. Harii-san."

Looking between the two shinobi with confusion, Harry quickly followed the older boy from the desk. Kakashi led the way upstairs to the Hokage's office. He knocked quickly on the door and stood at attention, waiting. Harry looked up at him oddly before awkwardly mimicking his stance.

They waited about three minutes before the door opened; by then, Harry had long since been forced to give up on the stiff stance, every muscle in his body protesting painfully. A tall, stern faced Jounin glanced down at them as he brushed past, offering a stiff nod. Kakashi returned with a shallow bow.

"Kakashi, please come in," the Hokage beckoned. Kakashi led Harry inside, approaching the Hokage's desk.

The twelve-year-old pulled out his paperwork again and set it on the Hokage's desk, scowling slightly behind his mask, "The Chuunin downstairs wouldn't accept my report."

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry, Kakashi," the Sandaime apologized, smiling, "After you left things became busy and I didn't get the chance to relay orders to the mission desk." He picked up the envelope and opened it, glancing over the contents.

Kakashi fought against the urge to fidget as the Hokage's attention was turned away from him and the room turned silent. But he hadn't been dismissed, so he held himself rigidly at attention. Harry wasn't so frugal, fidgeting awkwardly and wondering who, exactly, this strange man he'd spoken with briefly was, to command such responses from others.

At last, the Third set the papers aside, moving to retrieve a scroll from his desk, "Kakashi, do you have time for a short mission, while you're here?"

Kakashi hesitated, casting an uncertain glance at Harry, "Hokage-sama," he started awkwardly, "I'm supposed to watch Harii-san today while sensei rests from his mission."

"It won't be dangerous," the Hokage assured him, "You can bring Harii-kun with you." He proceeded to explain, "I need this scroll delivered to the outpost in Kohago. It will only take a few hours."

Kohago was less than twenty miles from Konoha, still deep within Leaf territory. The chances of running into teams of enemies so close to the Hidden Village were extremely low. Still, Kakashi was hesitant to take the younger boy out of the village—Harry didn't know anything about protecting himself, as he'd seen personally during Hanaki's attack, and could not be counted on to understand anything he was told to do. If something were to happen, both boys would be put in considerable danger.

"We'll go, Hokage-sama," Kakashi found himself saying—in the end, it was still a request from the Sandaime Hokage, and he couldn't very well refuse his leader.

* * *

"Don't touch that!" Kakashi snapped. 

Harry jerked away from the large white and pink flower he'd been admiring and looked back in surprise. The older boy's eyes were hard and annoyed, clearly serious.

"Let's go," Kakashi prompted with one of the few phrases that the boy understood. Harry looked at the flower once more before scrambling after the older boy as he passed.

They walked together in silence for several minutes and Harry's attention began to waver again. The large trees and lush undergrowth were like nothing he'd ever seen before—they hadn't had anything like this on Privet Drive, and even the places they visited around the village didn't measure up.

Kakashi grit his teeth in irritation—the boy acted like he'd never seen a forest before. "Hurry up," he quipped sharply as the six-year-old dawdled to stare at yet another tree.

Kohago was just over an hour and a half away, running, and it could be reached in less than an hour with the help of chakra and pressing circumstances. It took a little less than three and a half hours walking. At the pace they were going, Kakashi could only be hopeful they'd reach the outpost before evening set on.

Harry stared up at the tree as he forced himself to continue moving. There was a knife embedded deep about twenty feet off of the ground—one of those black knives with the little hoop at the end like he'd seen Kakashi and sensei using. There were other signs of violence, the six-year-old noticed as he stared up at the large trees and down to the foliage below. There were deep scratches in the old bark and snapped branches, along with small patches of crushed weeds.

Feeling a little unnerved, Harry hurried to catch up with his brother, tearing his eyes away from the forest. A hand on his shoulder made him stop and he looked up at the older boy, frowning in confusion.

Kakashi glanced around the forest with narrowed eyes before bringing his hard gaze back to the boy. "Wait here," he ordered sternly, willing him to understand. With one last stern look, he released the boy and leaped into the foliage off the path they were following.

Harry watched him go, eyes widening as he disappeared from sight. Was he just going to _leave_ him here _alone_? The boy looked around himself warily, feeling nervous. Where before the large forest had seemed exciting and curious, now it was looming over him with a threatening presence.

Kakashi didn't have to go far before he spotted what he was looking for and dropped to the ground. The signs of fighting had grown more numerous after he'd left the path, and now he had followed it to its natural conclusion.

The body lay face down on the ground—Kakashi had smelt the blood as far as the path. His sudden presence frightened off a few crows and small scavengers and he approached the dead body boldly. There was no threat in the vicinity—of that he was certain.

Still, it never hurt to be over prepared, he reflected, slipping a kunai into his hand as matter of precaution. The whole area smelled like blood rather than decaying meat, so it had to be a fairly recent kill. Cautiously, the twelve-year-old crept close to the body, crouching over it.

With a calm born of seeing such things many times, Kakashi reached out, pulling on the shoulder to roll the body onto its back. Its front was completely blood soaked, along with the ground where it had fallen, and Kakashi could barely make out a few open wounds among the rest of the mess.

His eyes immediately went to the hitai-ate tied around its forehead and a frown pulled at his lips as he observed the lines etched into the metal plate. It was a leaf—this had been one of theirs. It didn't take long to come to the next obvious conclusion. Somehow, their enemy had made it this far into their territory. From the stiffness of the body, Kakashi didn't think it was more than an hour dead. It could be that no one even knew about this breach of security, yet.

His body tensed and his head snapped up at the sound of something crushing leaves and grass. His arm was poised to throw the kunai when he saw Harry emerge from behind a tree and he relaxed. The boy noticed him a second later, smiling.

"Kakashi-niisan!" Harry called out, scrambling towards the older boy as relief washed over him. He stopped short, however, when he noticed the bloody form the older boy was crouched next to.

Kakashi frowned. If they'd been by an hour ago, whoever did this might still have been in the area. He stood quickly and carefully walked around the body to approach the six-year-old. Harry's eyes were wide, fixed on the dead body.

"Harii-san," Kakashi started, catching the boy's shoulder to shake him out of his stare. He'd barely touched the boy when Harry suddenly turned towards him, clutching his shirt with both hands and hiding his face in his side.

Bemusedly, the older boy stared down at the younger—what was wrong with him now? He followed the boy's previous line of sight to the dead body and frowned. It looked like it had been a relatively clean death, he'd seen bodies a lot more gruesome than that. And he was certain Harry hadn't known the man.

Shrugging it off as one of the child's oddities, Kakashi attempted to pry the hands from his clothes. Harry had a surprisingly strong grip. Kakashi's frown deepened.

"Harii-san," he said again, "We need to hurry on to Kohago and report this... Harii-san..." And now the six-year-old was trembling. Kakashi sighed, glancing around again. He could make it there in thirty minutes by himself.

As soon as the thought entered his head, he dismissed it. There was no way he could leave Harry here—he'd never hear the end of it if he did. Besides, whoever killed that nin might be coming back. But it would take hours, still, to reach Kohago with the younger boy slowing him down.

Making up his mind, Kakashi turned to crouch in front of the boy, finally prying his fingers loose and holding his wrists so he didn't try to latch on again. He met the boy's eyes—red rimmed and watery.

"Harii-san," he said again, trying to force some of his calm onto the six-year-old, "We need to hurry to Kohago. Do you understand?" Given the boy's shaking and frightened expression, he didn't. "You're going to climb onto my back, and I will carry you there, okay?" Still no acknowledgement of his directions.

The twelve-year-old stomped down his irritation, reminding himself sternly that Harry was still learning the language, and turned around—Harry's arms still trapped in his hands. With a little awkward maneuvering, he managed to get the boy's arms around his neck, where they clamped together as soon as he released them. Kakashi winced at the pressure, but pushed it from his mind, awkwardly grabbing the boy's legs to hoist him up a little as he stood.

Harry instinctively wrapped his legs around the older boy's waist when Kakashi's grip started to slacken, and he clung to his back as Kakashi readjusted him a little. The older boy attempted to get a little more breathing room, but Harry's arms were tight and wouldn't be loosened.

"Ready?" Kakashi asked over his shoulder. Harry responded by burying his face in his shoulder.

With a small burst of chakra, Kakashi pushed into a fast-paced run. Harry's arms and legs tightened further, but the Chuunin ignored it. A few steps later, Kakashi propelled them up into the trees where he could make better time.

Air whipped through Harry's hair and past his ears, rushing loudly. It ran over his arms and chilled the toes of his feet, unprotected by the toeless shoes he wore. His muscles were all tense and he clung onto the back in front of him for his life. They were moving very fast.

Harry bounced and jerked every time Kakashi pushed off the ground, jarring his grip a little so he had to readjust it again. He felt like he'd fall off if he let up even just a little.

The image of that man's bloody body was burned into his eyelids, reminding him of another time and another place. There had been blood then, too—a lot of it. Blood and screaming and pain. He'd been terrified.

There hadn't been any screaming this time. The man, whoever he was, had already been dead. Harry could tell because of how Kakashi had been acting. To think that there were people who would kill like that here, too...

Harry froze, breath catching for an instant, and his limbs tightened further around the body underneath him. Fear filled him—was it possible? Had those people followed him all the way here?

He began shaking and clutched at Kakashi tighter. He didn't want them to find him! They were scary and they'd probably try to hurt him again. Maybe they'd kill Kakashi and sensei this time.

"Harii-san," Kakashi croaked, reaching up to pull at the death grip the boy's arms had formed around his neck.

Harry blinked as the voice cut through his thoughts, and he glanced up—his face almost right next to Kakashi's. A second later he realized that he was choking the older boy—which was why his face was beginning to turn a little pink—and he loosened his grip a little.

"Maybe you'll make a shinobi after all," Kakashi grumbled, putting his arms back to readjust the boy a little, "You've got a good grip."

Harry smiled a little, uncertain, at the almost warm tone of the older boy's voice. It was the closest to warmth he'd heard from him, at least. Kakashi's eyes moved forward again and he continued running.

A little more at ease, Harry turned his eyes forward, too. They widened as he noticed Kakashi wasn't running on the ground at all, but leaping from branch to branch, high up in the trees. He could see the ground rushing past far below, and trees whizzing by on every side. Unconsciously, he tightened his hold just a little bit more. If he fell from up here he'd probably die!

Kakashi almost sighed in frustration as the grip tightened again, "Relax," he muttered, "I'm not going to drop you."

Harry didn't relax. He didn't close his eyes again, either, unable to look away from the surroundings that raced past. It was both terrifying and amazing—he couldn't have looked away if he wanted to, and he definitely didn't want to.

His grip didn't loosen, but eventually the boy began to calm down a little, his heartbeat steadying out and his breathing easing into a normal pattern again. As his confidence in the boy carrying him grew he began to even enjoy it a little. The air flying past him and whipping across his face was refreshing and exciting. It was like he was flying.

It was even better than the slide, Harry thought. It was a little scary, still, but Kakashi wouldn't drop him. It was exciting to move so fast. Tearing his eyes away from the forest, he glanced at Kakashi's face, eyes fixed ahead. He wondered if it was as much fun for him—he didn't look like he was having fun, but it was hard to tell for sure.

Harry frowned slightly, eyes dropping to the older boy's mask. He wondered why Kakashi wore that—he hadn't noticed anything wrong with his face, and he'd caught glances at it fairly frequently. Kakashi didn't usually wear the mask to bed, after all, but even so he was very skilled in hiding his face with his blanket or something before the younger boy got a good look.

Thinking again, Harry decided there was a good chance something_ was_ wrong with it, and he just hadn't noticed in the quick looks he got. It was like when his aunt and uncle made him wear a stocking hat whenever he went out—even if it was summer—to hide his hair. No one made him wear stocking hats here, though, and even Kakashi had white hair and didn't wear a stocking hat. Was his face even weirder than white hair?

The trees began to thin out a little and Kakashi was forced to jump back to the ground, though his pace barely slowed as he did so. Harry clung harder at the sudden, unexpected movement, but eased loose again as he continued running.

Kohago almost jumped out at them. One moment, all they could see was trees, and the next they suddenly broke away to reveal the small village.

Long ago, it had been a single tower, here near the edge of the forest. A town had eventually grown up around it, though, and now the watch tower marked the center of a town, which spread out past the edge of the forest.

Kakashi slowed to a walk as they approached the wall, and he eased Harry off his back, rolling the stiff muscles in his shoulders once they were child-free. Harry stuck close to his side as he walked up to the gate, stopping to turn to the gate-warden in a booth to one side.

"I have a message from Hokage-sama," Kakashi stated, cutting to the chase immediately. "Are you Shishido-san?"

"Ah, no," the shinobi replied, "He'll be down here soon—he's supposed to relieve me in thirty minutes. I can give it to him, if you want."

Kakashi stared at the other shinobi as if he were an idiot—who would pass off sensitive documents to anyone but who they were meant for? That was a rookie mistake, at best.

The other shinobi smiled, "Ah, right..." He glanced behind him, "I'll go get him, shall I?"

Kakashi nodded and the guard was quick to exit. He crossed his arms as he waited, annoyed. Apparently they were training someone new for gate duty.

Four minutes later the gate in front of them opened and the shinobi was blushing with an apologetic expression. Beside him was an older man with short cropped brown hair and a stony face.

"Shishido-san?" Kakashi prompted.

The man nodded, "I apologize for Horio-san's behavior... the village sent us another rookie and he's pretty useless."

Shishido barely had to glance at the younger man before he jumped to bow, hastily bending low and apologizing to the two boys, "I'm very sorry you were kept waiting."

Shishido rolled his eyes, beckoning the pair in, "I hear you have orders from the Hokage for me," he said, pausing to order Horio back to his post—the teen hastened to comply.

Kakashi nodded, pulling the scroll from a pouch on his belt and handing it over as the door closed behind him, "I also have a disturbance to report."

The man stopped, looking back at him with a stern frown, "What sort of disturbance?"

"On the way here I found evidence of a fight," Kakashi explained in low, calm tones, "There was one dead body—a Konoha-nin. I don't know if it's been reported or not, yet, but it can't be more than an hour and a half old now."

Shishido nodded in acknowledgement, "We'll send a team out to investigate. Where did you find it?"

"Eight miles out from here, near the trail," Kakashi replied, "It was about thirty yards east of the trail. If you have a map I can show you."

The man nodded and turned again, leading the way to a low, rectangular building nearby—the shinobi barracks, "There's a map here, we'll save more time with more accurate information."

Kakashi followed silently with Harry close behind him, and stepped inside when the large man held the door open for him. He had other things than the location of the body on his mind, though.

"Do you have an extra room here?" The twelve-year-old asked abruptly.

Shishido paused, obviously caught off guard, then resumed walking, leading them down the hall, "Burabe and Nagato are out right now," he said, "But they're expected back sometime tonight... The tracking team will probably be gone all night, though, I'm sure you could use one of those." It was a strange request—Konoha wasn't far and it was still before noon. He frowned, "Why not return to the village?"

Kakashi explained coolly, "I would rather remain here until whoever killed that man is caught."

The large man raised an eyebrow, beckoning the pair through another door. He took in the boy's clothing, "Aren't you a Chuunin, boy?"

Kakashi met his eyes calmly, "Harii-san is untrained," he stated coolly, "It could be problematic for us to run into enemies."

"A civilian boy?" Shishido looked down at the six-year-old again—he was dressed similarly to a shinobi, but wore no hitai-ate anywhere on him. "I see. I'll ask the team once I've assembled them. Someone will let you know what room is free." He led the way to a large map hanging on the wall, "Now, where did you say that body was?"

* * *

By dinner Minato was beginning to get nervous. He'd woken up sometime after lunch and hadn't been too surprised to see that Harry and Kakashi weren't there. It was starting to get late now, though, and it would soon be getting dark out. Kakashi could take care of himself and his brother, Minato was sure, but even knowing that he couldn't help but be a little worried. 

Yesterday the boys had been attacked—what if something like that happened again? It wasn't entirely reasonable to assume that someone else would repeat Hanaki's mistake, but it wasn't entirely impossible, either. He forced his thoughts back to more probable things, thinking back on the brief conversation they'd had that morning.

He frowned—what if something had gone wrong at the hospital? It was possible that Harry's condition had been worse than it appeared and they were delayed. Kakashi wasn't the type that would think of sending news to him, either. It probably wouldn't even occur to the kid that he might get worried.

Sighing in exasperation, the man grabbed his jacket from the stand next to the door and pulled it on. He could at least check at the hospital—just in case.

* * *

"They were here this morning, but they left right afterwards," the girl behind the desk reported, looking over the records of earlier that day. 

"They weren't admitted again after that, were they?" Minato questioned with concern.

Shooting the man a look of exasperation, the girl leafed through the reports again and shook her head, "No, I'm sorry, they must be somewhere else."

Minato sighed, forcing himself to calm down again. They weren't at the hospital so they were probably fine. They'd probably stopped somewhere for dinner or something. Lifting his head, he smiled at the girl.

"Ah, I see, they're not here," he said, "Thank you for your help."

The girl blushed a little and smiled back, "You're welcome, Yellow Flash-sama," she mumbled self-consciously.

With one last grin, the man turned and left, his long coat swirling behind him in a flashy style.

As he stepped outside he paused, debating whether to scour the village in search for the two boys. He frowned slightly—they were probably just having dinner, they'd be home soon.

Making up his mind, the blonde headed back to the apartment, determined to be there to yell at them when they arrived.

* * *

Harry stared around at the unfamiliar room with wide eyes. It wasn't large, even smaller than their bedroom at home, and it was very cluttered. There was a desk pushed against a wall, covered with scrolls, books, and various writing utensils. A dresser on the adjacent wall seemed to have just as many clothes piled around and on top of it as it had inside. A raised bed was pushed against the third wall; old, sagging a little, and made up sloppily. It was all lit by the light coming from the hall and a small lamp sitting on the floor next to the bed. 

Kakashi frowned at the room they'd been given. He glanced up at Shishido and raised an eyebrow—he couldn't be serious.

"The other two are much worse," the gruff shinobi retorted to the boy's unspoken accusation. He grunted, "Looks like we'll need to start enforcing those room checks more often."

Resigning himself, Kakashi turned back to the room. It wasn't so bad if he looked at the bare spot in the middle of the floor—it wasn't even large enough for a person to lay down on.

"Anything else you need?" The man questioned, sounding as though he didn't particularly care if there was.

Kakashi shook his head, "We'll be fine for the night. Thank you, Shishido-san."

Shishido nodded in acknowledgement and backed out of the doorway, "I'll leave you, then."

It was better than sleeping outside, Kakashi decided.

They'd spent the day exploring the small town. Kakashi had three reasons for wanting to do so. One, there really hadn't been anything else for them to do. Two, he wanted to get Harry's mind off of their discovery of the dead body that morning, since it obviously had disturbed the boy. Three, he hoped if he ran the boy around enough he'd sleep quietly tonight.

Kakashi had adjusted to sharing a room with the younger boy as any good ninja would. He'd incorporated the boy's sleeping patterns—the way he breathed and the beating of his heart—in with his own, recognizing them intrinsically. The nightly terrors the younger boy had were harder to acclimatize for. Every time Harry woke from a nightmare, Kakashi woke—usually well before the younger boy did, as his breathing became labored and his heartbeat erratic.

It was happening less often than the first few nights—Kakashi assumed Harry was adjusting to the new environment, just as he was adjusting to his roommate—but he was still lucky to sleep all the way through a night. He hoped the sudden change in accommodations wouldn't trigger a relapse.

"Harii-san," he spoke, drawing the boy's attention, "It's time for sleep."

Harry stared at him for a moment, then nodded. It was another of those phrases he recognized, as it was said to him every night. The two boys quietly got themselves ready. Harry removed his shoes but hesitated to remove any more, waiting to see what his brother would do. Kakashi stripped off his bulky ninja equipment and removed most of his hidden weapons, leaving him in little more than his shirt and pants when he went towards the bed.

Harry followed, hanging back uncertainly as the older boy pulled back the covers. Kakashi paused, turning to him expectantly.

"You first," he directed, motioning for the boy to get in.

Hesitating only a moment longer, Harry climbed onto the bed and moved against the wall. Kakashi followed after, stooping to turn off the lamp as he went.

* * *

Minato waited a full hour after night fall before he left again—it gave his wayward student plenty of time to get home if he'd lost track of time. Recalling the Chuunin had a report to hand in, he headed first for the Hokage Tower. 

After speaking with the Chuunin at the mission desk—who didn't know anything—Minato went straight to the top, literally. He waited with forced patience to be allowed in and managed a respectful salute before jumping on the reason he'd come.

"Hokage-sama, did Kakashi come by here earlier?" He asked, keeping most of the worry from his voice.

"Yes, he turned in a report I requested," the Hokage confirmed.

"Did he say where he was going when he left?" Minato asked.

The Hokage looked vaguely amused, "I thought you were confident in his abilities, Minato-san. Isn't that why you nominated him for the Jounin Exam?"

"I am confident," Minato replied, frowning slightly, "Kakashi can take care of himself—and Harii-kun, too, but I can still worry when one of my students disappears."

"Kakashi is safe," the Hokage assured the younger man, "He and Harii-kun are spending the night in Kohago."

Minato blinked—what were they doing in Kohago?

"Kakashi delivered a scroll at my insistence," the Hokage explained, "It seems he and Harii-kun found signs of enemy infiltration and opted to remain at the outpost until the tracking team finds them."

"Aa," Minato felt his anxiousness leaving him now that he knew the pair was safe, which allowed the full meaning of the second half of the Hokage's words to sink in. He frowned, "Iwa-nin, here?"

"So it would appear," the Hokage replied grimly, "They killed Ishita-san on his way back to the village—so far there is no sign of the rest of his team."

"Do they need help searching?" The Jounin asked, a new worry sneaking over him—for the enemy to come so close was extremely unnerving. It reminded him of his own youth and the last war.

The Sandaime smiled slightly, "They're doing fine, Minato."

His expression turned serious again and he laced his fingers together, elbows propped on the desk in front of him, "This war is reaching its peak, Minato. The next few battles will be pivotal in deciding the winners, and Rock is becoming increasingly aggressive."

The blonde returned his somber expression, looking his rank for a change, "What can we do, Hokage-sama?"

* * *

Kakashi lay awake on the lumpy mattress, staring up into the darkness above him. Harry's breath hitched and the boy let out a mewling sort of half-whimper. The older boy sighed, closing his eyes tiredly as he waited for the younger to wake. 

He listened to the uneven breaths and soft noises of discontent from his roommate. It only lasted a few more minutes, ending with a sharp gasp. The bed rocked as Harry shifted, breath coming in loud and uneven rasps. Kakashi listened as the breathing slowly began to soften and the boy became aware of his surroundings.

The mattress shifted again and Kakashi relaxed a little more as Harry settled down beside him again. He was just starting to drift off when he felt the mattress shift again. Ignoring the younger boy's movements, Kakashi renewed his attempts to succumb to sleep.

The Chuunin stiffened when he felt something touch him. Tense, he opened his eyes and looked across at Harry. The room was almost pitch black, the only light coming from around the door, but there was just enough of it for him to see the younger boy cuddling into him.

"Harii-san," he mumbled tiredly in protest—how was he supposed to sleep with someone clinging to him?

The younger boy whimpered and fisted his fingers in the material of Kakashi's shirt, tucking his head into the boy's side, "Ka...shi-niisan," he mumbled pathetically, voice muffled by Kakashi and the blankets.

Kakashi sighed and closed his eyes again, "Just tonight," he mumbled back, too tired to argue.

Harry smiled slightly at the acceptance in the older boy's voice. He shut his eyes drowsily, slowly slipping back to sleep.

It took a bit longer for Kakashi to fall asleep. The touch of another person was uncomfortable, and he was hypersensitive to every move the younger boy made—he could even feel his breath against his arm. The twelve-year-old closed his eyes, forcing himself to put the unwanted closeness out of his mind.

* * *

When Kakashi was a child, he'd had his own room with a raised bed and a thick mattress. Every night his father had tucked him in, and every morning he would wake up to the warmth of one of his father's dogs curled up asleep next to him, watching over him even in the night. As he grew older it happened less and less, with his father taking missions more often, and those missions extending for longer periods of time. But there had always been times he would wake up with the dog curled next to him, a warm, soft body next to his own. 

For one sleep-dazed moment, Kakashi was completely convinced that the dog was curled up next to him and his father would be in any moment to wake him up. The feeling shattered as he recalled his father's suicide, the blood soaked body he'd come home to find shocking him all over again.

The twelve-year-old jolted upright, hand automatically reaching for one of the hidden weapons he always had on him, even when he slept. His hand froze at the base of the weapon as his eyes landed on Harry.

The six-year-old made a sound of dissent at the older boy's sudden movement, and blearily opened half-lidded eyes to peer around himself in confusion. He looked up at Kakashi, dark green eyes bemused and a light frown on his lips.

Recalling last night's events, Kakashi relaxed and his hand fell away from his weapon.

"Good morning," he muttered to Harry before sliding out of bed.

Harry stared after him sleepily, obviously not ready to wake up just yet. Kakashi began the process of returning all his equipment to his body, pausing partway through to look back at the drowsy boy with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you coming?" He asked.

Harry stared blearily at him.

"Aren't you hungry?" Kakashi asked.

After a moment, the six-year-old yawned widely and nodded, slowly crawling out of bed after him. Kakashi resumed getting dressed and waited for the tired boy to pull on his shoes before leading the way from the room.

* * *

Obito scratched the back of his head, eyes half-closed. Tiredly, he addressed the blonde man that had way too much energy for so early in the morning, "Sensei, why did we have to meet so early today?" 

"We have something really important to do today," Minato replied smoothly, "Our mission is to rescue Kakashi and Harii-kun."

Frowning in confusion, Obito glanced around, noticing for the first time that the cold boy wasn't with them. Rin frowned in concern.

"Is Kakashi-kun alright?" The girl asked in concern, "Where is he?"

"Well, right now he's trapped in Kohago," Minato answered, eyes narrowing determinedly, "Which is why we need to go there and rescue him!"

The man's students blinked at him slowly, taking in what he'd just said.

"Anô... but, sensei, isn't Kohago one of our outposts?" Rin asked uncertainly, frowning in confusion.

"Yeah," Obito agreed, "Why does he need to be rescued from one of our own outposts? What's he doing there, anyway?"

"There have been enemy-nin spotted in the forest," their teacher supplied, a serious expression on his face, "It's too risky for Kakashi to escort Harii-kun home alone, so he's waiting there for backup. Is everyone ready?"

It sounded pretty useless to Obito—he wouldn't really mind having his other teammate out of his hair for a few more days. Their last mission had actually been kind of fun, with just him and Rin and sensei. But looking up at the man he knew he could never convince him of that. The Jounin was completely determined to 'rescue' Kakashi, and nothing anyone said would dissuade him.

With a sigh, the boy agreed, "Hai, sensei." He couldn't believe he'd gotten up early for something like this.


	6. Return to Home

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I am neither J.K. Rowling or Kishimoto Masashi in disguise. Therefore, it can clearly be deduced that I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto.

Sorry about the chapter being a little late. I tried to post it a couple of times yesterday, but this site was being finicky and wouldn't let me upload any documents. It worked today, though, so here's the next installment! Not much to say about this chapter. Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I take all comments into account when writing, even if I don't end up using everything, but I appreciate your opinions and thoughts about what may be coming up or mistakes I may have made in past chapters. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 6 – Return to Home 

James Potter was tired and sore. His clothes were wet from the rain which had yet to let up, sticking to him uncomfortably in various places. The dirt matted in his untidy hair was only being ground in further due to the rain, and the grime clinging to him seemed to be permanently embedded into his clothes.

But he was alive.

As the trio turned down the road, relief washed over them like a wave. They'd actually done it, and now they were home. James cracked a grin as Sirius laughed.

"I guess we didn't have to worry after all," James commented with a grin, "Piece of cake."

Remus chuckled, "I don't know if I'd go that far, James."

Sirius laughed, jabbing the arm of his best friend as he chimed in, "Yeah, you look like something a muggle pulled out of a swamp."

James rolled his eyes and retorted, "At least I don't smell like wet dog, Padfoot."

The other man frowned slightly, giving himself an experimental sniff which caused both his friends to laugh again.

"Well, I'm just glad that Lily's prediction was wrong for once," James commented as their laughter died away, smile still in place on his lips.

"Hmm," Remus agreed without commitment. They weren't home yet, as close as they were. Something could happen.

Silence settled over the trio as paranoia crept up on them. Nothing would happen this close to home—right?

They turned up the Potters's driveway and James paused to address his friends, "Wait down here for a while, will you?"

Exchanging a look, the other two nodded reluctantly, pausing at the bottom of the driveway. The rain was slowing now, raindrops coming less frequently. James approached the door warily and knocked, huddled underneath his invisibility cloak, just in case.

For a while nothing happened. He waited three minutes until the light on the other side of the door went on and he heard someone moving around on the other side. He didn't think it was Lily—she would have said something by now.

The door finally opened and he found himself staring at a much cleaner version of himself, clad in a white T-shirt and black shorts. It was a little unnerving and James blinked a few times, reminding himself it was only a glamour.

"It's me," James said quickly, carefully pulling his cloak off so as not to startle the shinobi.

The other man looked him over carefully, muscles taut, before he finally relaxed a little and gave a short nod, "Potter-san," he acknowledged, stepping outside and closing the door behind him.

"Is Lily alright?" James asked.

The man nodded again, "She's upstairs."

James looked at his reflection awkwardly again before requesting, "Hey, can you stop that now?"

The other man stared at him for a moment, apparently not sure what he meant, then formed a single shape with his hands.

"**Kai**," the man intoned and suddenly the visage was gone. The second James Potter replaced once more with a tall, sturdy man with unnaturally white hair and a mask over the bottom half of his face, disappearing within the T-shirt he was still wearing. For some reason, the mask reassured James. He grinned.

"Great. So, do you need to get anything?" James asked awkwardly, "Or, you know... I've got your pay, are you leaving tonight?"

The white haired man nodded, expression unreadable, "Give me two minutes," he said, flashing through hand signs and reinstating the glamour.

Before James could protest, the man had disappeared back into his house. With a sigh, he turned back to his friends and motioned them forward.

"That's the guard you hired?" Sirius asked, looking at the door with obvious distaste, "Seems suspicious. You're really going to trust him alone in there?"

"Sirius," Remus sighed, "He's been alone in there for a week already. If he was going to try something he would have done it already."

"Maybe he did," Sirius leered, "He's been alone with Lily all this time, right? You can't trust people like that."

"The Headmaster recommended him," James pointed out, hoping his friend was wrong, "I'm sure he's trustworthy."

"I hope so," Sirius grunted, still not appearing appeased.

The door opened again and shut quickly behind James's doppelganger once more. He glanced over the additional two men with cold eyes and released his illusionary form once more. This time he was in uniform, just like the first time James had seen him.

James dug out the gold he'd picked up for just this moment and handed the small bag over. The white-haired man opened the bag, sorting through its contents.

"It's the price we agreed on," James assured him awkwardly.

The tinkling of the small metal pieces seemed unnaturally loud in the otherwise silent night. James glanced at his friends—Sirius was glaring at the man suspiciously and Remus wore a small frown, though he didn't appear hostile. The ninja seemed unaffected by either gaze. James returned his attention to him as the man closed the bag again, stuffing it away somewhere within his vest.

"So, um... Thanks for looking after Lily for me," James said awkwardly.

The man stared at him with dark eyes, saying nothing for a long moment, then walked between him and Remus without a word, soon disappearing into the darkness of the driveway. The rain had stopped completely by now.

"Tch, creep," Sirius muttered.

"We should check on Lily," Remus murmured, the closest thing to agreement he'd have in this situation.

James nodded and reached for the door.

"James," Remus interrupted—James glanced at him with a small, confused frown. The brown haired man slipped his wand from the sleeve of his robe and flicked it at him, casting a cleaning charm.

James flushed a little but smiled his gratitude before opening the door, allowing his friends in after him.

He noticed the T-shirt and shorts the other him had been wearing folded up on the bottom stair and quickly pulled off his clothes to change. Remus coughed in embarrassment, looking away, and Sirius grinned, elbowing his modest friend in amusement.

Once he was sure he looked just like Lily would be expecting him to look like, he quickly headed upstairs to the bedroom. Lily sat up in bed and looked up at his entrance. She smiled a little.

"Who was it?" She asked.

James smiled back, crossing to her side and pushing down the guilt he felt for lying to his wife, "Moony and Padfoot," he replied.

The woman sat up straighter, her eyes widening, "Are they alright?" She asked in concern.

"They're fine," James said, fingers gently caressing her cheek, smile never faltering, "Tired... I'll let them stay the night."

"Of course," Lily agreed easily, "Are they hungry? Should I make them something...?"

Bending slightly, James gave her a short kiss on her forehead, smile more genuine as he pulled back—he'd missed her. "They're fine. Sleep, Lily, I'll be back." He kissed her once more, "I'll always be back."

The woman stared up at him, smile faltering slightly in confusion, but still remaining intact. Her husband was an odd man, but she loved him all the same.

* * *

"We'll be back in a few days. I've talked with the Hokage already—someone will stop by everyday to make sure you're doing okay... Kushina-san should be back soon, too, so she can stay with you until we return—that'll be fun, won't it...? I bought some snacks in case you get hungry, and you can color in these books if you get bored... Hmm, well, not this one, but the others should be fine..." 

"Sensei, we're going to be gone a few days, not a few years," Kakashi interrupted the rambling man dryly.

The blonde grinned, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly and pausing in his movements, "I know, I know, but we haven't left Harii-kun alone before."

"He's not a baby," Kakashi pointed out blankly.

"I know," Minato said again, "But I don't think he really understands what we're doing."

"He's six, sensei," Kakashi said, "I was a Chuunin when I was six."

"I know you were, Kakashi," Minato replied, a mixture of emotions in his voice mostly leaning towards amusement, "I'm sure Harii-kun will be fine."

"You hired Genin to check on him, so he won't even be completely alone," Kakashi said.

The man grinned, ruffling the twelve-year-old's hair, much to Kakashi's consternation. "You're a good kid, Kashi-kun." The boy glared, "Are you all packed?"

"Hai," Kakashi replied with a sigh as his sensei moved off to finish with his own preparations.

"It's only for a few days," the man said again, raising his voice as he moved into the other room momentarily, "Kakashi-kun will tell you all about it when we get back. You probably won't even notice we're gone—maybe you'll be glad for a little time to yourself, Harii-kun, ne?"

Kakashi sighed again, blocking out his teacher's rambling and letting his eyes fall on the oblivious boy watching everyone hurry around him—more accurately, it was only his sensei hurrying around them, but the Yellow Flash was a fast enough person that with all his energy he seemed like two or three people in their small apartment. Kakashi suspected bunshin.

The twelve-year-old frowned. His teacher did have a point, though. They would be gone for several days and Harry still didn't have a good grasp on the native language—it had only been two weeks since his arrival. Kakashi wasn't sure how long it took to learn a second language, never having to learn one himself, but imagined it probably took a year or so, just like it took babies about that long to learn how to speak. Maybe it wouldn't take that long, since Harry already knew how to speak.

Kakashi wasn't too worried about the language barrier. Harry seemed quick enough to pick up a basic understanding of phrases, if not the meaning of the exact words, and he was pretty sure that would work itself out even without them. But the six-year-old hadn't really shown any sign of self-reliance, and he was still having nightmares, after all. The Genin would take care of him, but Kakashi wasn't sure he wanted to place his trust in a bunch of rookies who'd barely made it out of the Academy with _his_ brother.

Minato blinked as he re-entered the main room, pulling up short and pausing in his monologue as he noticed his student forming seals, a scroll unraveled next to him. Frowning thoughtfully in silence, he waited to see what he was doing.

Kakashi slammed his hand down and tiny characters in blood shot out from his palm only to disappear a moment later in an explosion of smoke. Minato frowned a bit more, eyebrows tugging together as the smoke cleared to reveal a young, white and orange dog. It was the first of the pack Kakashi used for summons, Minato knew, but he wasn't sure that it was prudent to summon an animal in this kind of circumstance. What was his student getting at?

The dog looked around, then back at his master, barking his own confusion. Kakashi knelt, petting the dog's neck and speaking to it softly—Minato heard anyway.

"Ryou-kun," Kakashi said, tone low, "I need you to look after Harii-san while we're gone."

The dog barked again, this time in confirmation, and stood, turning its head to find the younger boy seated a ways away. Harry stared back, glittering dark green eyes having fixed on the dog the moment it appeared.

As the animal padded across to him, a delighted grin crossed the six-year-old's face, "Ryou-kun!" He called out happily—the dog wagged its tail as the boy moved to meet him halfway, immediately smothering him in affection.

Minato grinned in understanding, shouldering the pack he'd brought with him, "Okay, ready, Kakashi?"

"You were the one I was waiting for, sensei," Kakashi pointed out bluntly, pack sitting beside him—where it had been for the last fifteen minutes.

"Ah, heh heh, well, let's go. Sayonara, Harii-kun," the man called out as he opened the door for Kakashi to precede him through.

"Sayonara," Kakashi echoed blandly, stepping out the door.

Minato caught up to him as they walked down the hall, an amused grin pulling at his lips. He glanced sideways at the boy until he caught his eyes, which looked up at him questioningly.

"You seem to be getting along well with Harii-kun," he commented merrily.

Kakashi scowled, "So?" It came out sounding more defensive than he had planned it to be, "I thought you wanted us to get along, sensei."

If anything, his teacher only grinned wider at his words. He chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair again, "Don't get me wrong, Kashi-kun, I'm happy to see you and your otouto getting along."

Kakashi glowered, shrugging off the man's hand when it rested on his shoulder, "It would be annoying otherwise," he grumbled, "Since I have to share my room with him."

"Oh, of course," Minato agreed, that irritating grin still on his face.

* * *

It didn't take Harry long to realize that his friends hadn't just stepped out for a moment. He'd seen them carrying bags and they'd been gone for at least an hour now—he was beginning to worry. 

They were coming back, weren't they? But maybe they were worried about that man who attacked him the other day, and that dead body they'd found in the woods. Were they just going to leave him there alone?

Standing up, Harry decided to take stock of the house—maybe they were just going out for the day to someplace fun. But when they'd gone out without him before they'd left someone behind to watch him. Like that nice lady or those other two kids.

He peeked in the room that he shared with Kakashi first, looking around with wide eyes. Kakashi's bed was still there, folded up against the same wall as his was. Stepping inside, he poked around a little more. The dresser only had three drawers—one for Harry's clothes, one for Kakashi's, and one that was always locked. To the six-year-old's dismay, the older boy's already sparse collection of clothes had dwindled even further, leaving only a pair of pants that looked too small.

The third drawer, Harry knew, was where the older boy kept extra knives, needles, and other sharp things that he wasn't supposed to touch. He shook the dresser a little and could hear a few objects rolling around inside—it didn't sound promising. Apparently, Kakashi had pretty much cleared that out, too.

Now even more concerned, the boy quickly went to the other bedroom. He hesitated outside before slowly pushing the door open. This was sensei's room—he'd never been in there before.

It wasn't as spectacular as he'd expected it to be. There was another bed mat folded against the wall, under the window, and a small closet, sliding door halfway open. Harry crept inside cautiously and pushed it open the rest of the way.

The man's closet was messy, with the odd clothing thrown on the floor and stuffed with things on hooks. Some of the outfits hanging up were obviously much too small for the adult, and Harry guessed they probably belonged to Kakashi. He relaxed a little—if they left so much behind, they had to be coming back, right?

He turned as he felt something soft brush against his hand. Ryou-kun sat down beside him, looking up and cocking his head slightly. Harry smiled, scratching the dog's head.

"It's okay, Ryou-kun," he told the dog in English, then paused, frowning. Kakashi's dog probably didn't understand English, since no one else seemed to. He racked his brain for an appropriate phrase and at length he came up with one. Smiling, he added, "Daijoubu."

Ryou-kun tilted his head the other way, then his tail thumped against the floor and he gave a short bark.

Harry smiled, confident that he'd been understood. He headed back into the main room, making sure the dog was out of sensei's bedroom before shutting the door again. Frowning, he looked around the house. Now what was he supposed to do?

* * *

"Are you sure Harii-kun will be okay?" Rin asked in a hushed voice for what seemed like the hundredth time. 

Kakashi was trying not to think about it.

"He'll be fine," Minato assured the girl.

The four of them continued in silence.

Obito stared at the back of the boy running in front of him as he brought up the back of the group. Kakashi had been acting weird all morning. He had never been much of a chatterbox, of course, but he was even more quiet than usual.

He hadn't even yelled at Obito when he'd arrived five minutes later than their predetermined meeting time. Sure, he'd sent him a death glare that could boil away the sea and fry all the fish in it with one go, but he was usually quite verbal about his grievances.

A sudden, crazy thought hit the thirteen-year-old. Was it possible Mr. No-Feelings was actually worried? About leaving the younger brother that he didn't seem to care much for alone?

The thought was so baffling that the Uchiha almost tripped the moment it entered his mind. He had to pause his train of thought long enough to get his feet moving properly again before he could pursue the ridiculous notion any further.

It seemed completely ludicrous as he thought about it. Kakashi didn't worry about other people. He was an insensitive, socially stunted jerk and Obito knew it. To even suggest otherwise would be like saying the sun only rose during the night, or that rivers tended to flow uphill.

Still—he gave the younger boy a more critical look. He didn't _look_ worried, although it was hard to tell anything from behind. Speeding up, he matched pace with the other Chuunin as he arrived at his side, craning his neck to try to see the boy's face.

Kakashi, catching sight of him in his peripheral, turned his head slightly to shoot a glare the other boy's way. Obito frowned, observing the little that was visible of his teammate's face. He didn't look worried from here, either. Reading his taciturn teammate was like reading a book in which someone had blacked out all the lines. Kakashi's glare darkened as the other boy continued to stare.

"Are you worried?" Obito questioned abruptly.

Kakashi's expression faltered a moment, a look of confusion flitting onto his face before quickly being covered by the darkest glare Obito had ever received. The Uchiha blinked, eyes widening, and the Hatake increased his speed to pull ahead of the other boy again.

Obito scratched the side of his head, mulling over the other boy's reaction. It didn't _seem_ like a worried reaction. But, then again, this was socially-stunted-Kakashi he was thinking about.

The thirteen-year-old groaned—it was just too much. Whether Kakashi was worried or not wasn't any of his business, anyway. His eyes returned to his teammate's back. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to keep investigating this interesting turn of events. Maybe he could even convince Rin to help—and sensei, too.

A small smile worked its way onto Uchiha Obito's face.

* * *

Harry was staring out the window as his stomach growled again, accompanied by a small twinge of pain. It wasn't really _pain_, he thought, but it was clearly getting his attention. He was hungry, and he'd _been_ hungry for some time now, and it didn't look as though Kakashi or sensei were coming back any time soon. 

Beside him, Ryou-kun whined, head laying down on his paws. Harry smiled slightly—Ryou-kun was probably hungry, too. He stood. That was something he could fix.

Ryou-kun bounded to the boy's side as he led the way to the kitchen, opening the lower cabinet where he knew the dog treats were. He pulled out the blue bowl and dug around in the cabinet a little more—a bag of dog food was in the back, behind the biscuits. Harry pulled it out.

Ryou-kun wagged his tail eagerly, large brown eyes watching every one of the six-year-old's movements. Harry fumbled with the odd clip over the opening and carefully tipped the bag to pour some of the dry food into the bowl.

He'd never had a pet before, unless you counted the bird he'd kept in a cardboard box for all of five hours—which Harry didn't. The bird had been hurt and when he'd refused to let his cousin play with it, Dudley had run to his parents. Aunt Petunia had a strict no pet policy and had thrown the whole box, bird and all, into the trash can. That being as it was, Harry wasn't sure how much food to give the dog, and his attempt at pouring the food was a little clumsy.

He filled the dish up a little over halfway, guessing that the food he'd spilt on the floor was probably enough to fill it up the rest of the way. He'd barely straightened the bag again when Ryou-kun pounced on his lunch, gobbling it up so fast that Harry wondered if he wouldn't have a tummy ache. If he did, the six-year-old supposed, he could rub it until it felt better.

The boy returned the food to the cabinet and shut the door, watching the dog eat for a few minutes. His grumbling stomach eventually broke his attention away again and he looked at the small fridge. His stomach grumbled further at the prospect of food.

Hesitantly, the boy approached, eyeing the small door warily before shooting an anxious glance over his shoulder at the apartment door. He was hungry, but he didn't want to get into trouble for taking food that wasn't his. Kakashi and sensei had been nice to him, though, and he was pretty sure they wouldn't want him to go hungry. They seemed to like getting him things to eat, as they usually did at least three times a day—sometimes more if sensei thought of it.

Eating something offered you was one thing, though; actually helping himself to what was in their fridge was a completely different matter. Even if they were nice, wouldn't they still be angry for him taking their food without permission? Kakashi, he was pretty sure, would be angry. A lot of things annoyed the older boy, and Harry wasn't sure that he liked him all that much.

Sensei, he wasn't so sure about. If experience was anything to go by, though, he'd probably get angry, too. Food was important and shouldn't be taken without first being offered.

Ryou-kun had finished his own lunch and turned to look at the boy, tilting his head slightly. Harry glanced at him nervously and his stomach growled again.

Finally, spurred on by his own hunger and hoping his hosts wouldn't mind too much, Harry opened the fridge.

The boy had seen inside of it before. Usually, it didn't have a lot inside—Kakashi and sensei ate out more often than they ate at home. There was usually milk and juice, some vegetables often rolled around in one of the drawers on the bottom, and there was usually a few boxes of leftovers.

Today there were considerably more boxes inside the fridge, and they didn't look like leftovers. Tentatively, the boy reached out. He cast another nervous look over his shoulder before picking up one of the boxes. The container was plastic and translucent so he could see the food inside. The bottom was filled with white rice—they seemed to eat a lot of that here—and toppings were placed liberally over top. Harry could recognize some pale fish, a variety of chopped vegetables, and a few berries. It looked good.

His stomach growled again and he made up his mind. Even if he would get in trouble for it later, it would be better to eat this now. Besides, Kakashi and sensei might not be back before it went bad—he had no idea when they were coming back. Nodding to himself, he closed the fridge door and walked across to the food warmer.

* * *

Obito cursed softly as he slapped another bug from the side of his face. "These bugs are eating me alive," he complained to no one in particular. 

"With luck they'll finish you off soon," Kakashi growled back, shooting the other boy an annoyed look.

Obito glowered back but was too tired to argue further. He flopped down on his sleeping bag, "When are we going to get there, sensei? We've been running all day."

"You're too noisy," Kakashi snapped, eyes gleaming with annoyance.

"Shut up!" Obito shouted back, casting an irritated glare back the younger boy, "I wasn't talking to you!"

Smiling, Minato intervened before the two obviously stressed boys could escalate their argument to something a little more dangerous, "We should arrive before midday tomorrow," he told Obito, "We'll get up half an hour before dawn to pick up camp and set out again at first light." He turned to Kakashi, frowning slightly, "Is something bothering you, Kakashi?"

The twelve-year-old snorted, averting his eyes, "Just Obito being an idiot, like always," he grumbled.

"Hmm..." The Yellow Flash stared at him thoughtfully a moment longer before dropping the issue.

As they settled down to bed Kakashi found himself staring up at the dark canopy of trees. They were still within Fire Country and fairly safe, but Kakashi's mind wasn't on their safety or the lack of guard they'd scheduled for the night.

Obito's complaints about bugs and the rocks that always seemed to be poking into his back no matter where he moved eventually died out with a round of good night wishes—he'd grudgingly included Kakashi on that list. Kakashi hadn't replied. Rin was the first to fall asleep, her breathing slowing and falling into a familiar night time rhythm. Obito soon followed—Kakashi reflected that the annoying boy was a lot more bearable while he was asleep.

Even with the familiar sounds around him, sounds he had fallen asleep to countless times in the last several years, Kakashi still found himself restless. He lay awake for some time, thinking even as he tried to clear his mind and sleep.

Harry was still having nightmares—the thought continued to pop into his head, even as he pushed it out time and again. Finally, he stopped resisting and followed the thoughts to their conclusion. Ryou-kun would be with him, after all, so he'd probably be fine. He was a good dog. Still, Harry didn't know him well, so he may not be as comforted as Kakashi might by his presence.

"Harii will be fine, Kashi," Minato's voice interrupted the boy's wandering thoughts.

"I know," Kakashi retorted, annoyed that his teacher thought he could be bothered to worry about the younger boy; and maybe he was even more annoyed because maybe his sensei was right.

"If he's anything like you," the man added, "He'll probably appreciate the quiet. We've kind of been smothering him lately..." When Kakashi didn't respond he continued, "I heard he had his own room back in his old house, so he'll probably enjoy that, too."

Kakashi frowned up at the single star that had found its way to shine through the trees. He did not think that Harry would like having that room to himself—not after the way he'd clung to him just two nights before.

"Kakashi?" Minato prompted when the silence had dragged out for several minutes.

"... Harii-san has nightmares," Kakashi stated, voice neutral and detached as though he were reporting about any number of things that had nothing to do with him at all—not voicing his concerns over the well-being of an estranged younger brother.

Minato frowned a little, "I didn't know that. Every night?"

Kakashi nodded.

Minato must have seen because he continued the conversation as though the boy had answered, "Are they very bad?"

Kakashi hesitated, then nodded again.

Minato didn't respond.

"... He usually wakes up after a while," Kakashi supplied reluctantly, "Seven or eight minutes, typically."

"Well... he won't be completely alone, at least," Minato pointed out, "Ryou-kun is with him."

Kakashi nodded again, glad that his teacher had reached the same conclusion he had minutes before, "Ryou-kun is good with nightmares."

Minato looked at his student but didn't ask further questions and silence fell over them. Eventually, Kakashi slipped into a light sleep, and his teacher followed him.

* * *

Harry started awake with a gasp, shaking. The image of men with skulls for faces standing around him was fresh in his mind and every shadow he'd opened his eyes to seemed ominous and threatening. Automatically, the boy turned his head to his right, only to see unbroken darkness and the faint, shadowy outline of Kakashi's futon, still neatly folded, rather than the familiar shock of white hair above a pale face. 

With a small whimper, the six-year-old curled in on himself, eyes focused desperately on the bed as though expecting a mirage to suddenly lift and reveal the stoic older boy. Nothing ever seemed to move Kakashi—nothing frightened him or startled him, and Harry had unconsciously latched onto that stead-fastness like a pillar of support.

He wondered again where they'd gone. If they were coming back. Whether it was his fault, something he'd done, that made them leave.

Movement to his left made the boy jump slightly in surprise, then curl up further and shut his eyes tightly, body shaking slightly. His breathing escalated as he tried to keep himself from crying, listening to the noise in the darkness behind him. Something was moving across the floor, slowly moving towards him. From the footsteps he could hear, it sounded as though whatever it was had claws—a monster then?

His mind settled on the first conclusion it reached. They had sent another monster after him.

He shuddered fearfully, knowing he should move, but being too scared to even look. It came closer, whatever it was. Then something touched his back, sending a bolt of terror down his spine. Screwing up every bit of courage he could, the boy wheeled around, blankets flying messily around him. He wasn't sure what he planned on doing, as his wide, dark eyes met with a wide pair of brown, but he had to do something.

White stood out stark around the eyes, Harry's heart pounded in his chest, waiting for whatever it was to make the next move, mind racing almost as frantically as his pulse. He couldn't just let the monster eat him—he just couldn't! He was sure Kakashi wouldn't sit around, waiting to be eaten. The shadowed face shifted slightly and the eyes tilted in a familiar manner.

Relief washed over Harry as he recognized the dog, red fur that seemed much darker in the night combining with the white to form the mass of the body.

"Ryou-kun," the boy sighed, sagging tiredly as fear born adrenaline slowly drained from his body, leaving him more exhausted than he'd been moments ago.

He heard the _thump-thump_ of the dog's tail hitting the floor and the dog barked, apparently taking his words as invitation to do so. Ryou-kun moved forward to nuzzle at his chest and arms as Harry crawled back to his bed. He pet the dog thankfully with one hand as he righted the blankets with his other, easing himself back on his mattress.

The dog barked again and Harry smiled, laying back down. He recalled how actively the dog had jumped to defend him and Kakashi when that man attacked them. Surely Ryou-kun wouldn't let the mean men get him. The six-year-old felt much safer than he had when he'd woken up to find Kakashi gone.

Harry patted his bed beside him in invitation, "Ryou-kun, come."

The dog obeyed eagerly, hurrying to his side, tail wagging and tongue lolling. He turned around twice, pawing at the bedding, and settled down right next to the six-year-old before stretching out his neck a little so as to lick the boy's nearest cheek. Giggling with pleasure, Harry patted the dog's head again, snuggling into the warmth of the canine's body.

"Ryou-kun, it's time for sleep," he said drowsily, already beginning to drift off again.

* * *

When Harry woke again there was light shining through a crack in the drawn curtain that normally covered the small window in the bedroom. He lay in bed with eyes half-lidded, idly running a hand over Ryou-kun's fur as he drowsily stared at the still-made futon of Kakashi's. 

A soft noise—the creaking of the front door—caught the boy's attention, pulling him closer to actual awareness. He frowned, shifting slightly and listening closely. Beside him, Ryou-kun lifted his head, staring at the door, as well.

There was another creak as the door closed and a voice called out uncertainly, "Hello?"

It was male and young, but Harry didn't recognize it right away.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" A second voice put in—this one female.

Ryou-kun was on his feet already, standing between Harry and the door, looking uncertain as to whether he should bark or growl or wag his tail. Harry tiredly pulled himself out of bed and padded across to the door, patting the dog's head on the way. Quietly, he cracked the door open, peering out.

The boy had short, spiked blue hair—such a bright blue that Harry was sure it must have been dyed. He was dressed casually, with a jarringly bright green T-shirt and orange shorts. Whoever he was—Harry was quite sure he'd never seen him before—he was obviously quite color-blind. The six-year-old was also quick to note the cloth tie he wore around his neck, fixed with the same metal plate that sensei and Kakashi wore.

The girl was more average looking, with short, chin-length black hair tied to stay out of her face with a red ribbon. She wore a dark blue shirt and black pants, much closer to Kakashi's style of dressing than the boy. It took Harry a moment longer to find the metal plate she wore tied around her left arm.

He didn't have much time to watch—they noticed him quickly. The girl spoke up first.

"Harii-kun?" She prompted, "Come on out, we won't hurt you."

Harry glanced nervously back at Ryou-kun, but the dog didn't seem at all alarmed by the presence of the two older children. His tail was now wagging, actually, and he seemed eager to get out of Harry's small bedroom. Reluctantly, the boy pushed the door open and stepped out.

"So, this is him, huh?" The boy asked, crouching a little to look at him—he appeared a few years older than Kakashi, Harry thought.

"Looks like it," the girl responded nonchalantly, not paying much attention one way or another.

"D'you think he really doesn't understand us?" The boy asked, casting the girl a curious look over his shoulder before returning his eyes to Harry, "Hey, runt, can you understand me?"

Harry stared at him blankly.

The boy straightened, grinning and ruffling the boy's hair with his left hand—Harry noticed for the first time that his right was wrapped tightly in bandages, "Cute," he commented, "Little bastard really can't talk."

The girl rolled her eyes, "Sanoda, let's just do this," she sighed, "Quit messing with the poor kid."

"Who's messing with him?" The boy asked, turning to her defensively, "He can't even understand." He turned back to Harry, grinning again, "Isn't that right, Harii-kun? You're a real idiot, aren't you?"

Ryou-kun barked and Harry frowned slightly, looking between the older boy and the dog. The boy seemed friendly enough, but Kakashi's dog seemed to feel differently—his tail wasn't wagging now.

"Look," the girl interrupted, shooting a mild glare at the boy before looking back to Harry, "We're just supposed to see if you need anything. You know, make sure you're not about to die or anything. You've got plenty of food, right?" She walked across to the fridge to check—Harry looked after her anxiously.

The boy's attention turned back to the blue-haired teen when he spoke again, although he was looking over at the kitchen and clearly addressing his companion.

"He's the White Fang's brat, right?" The boy called out, "The guy who killed himself a while back."

Harry's frown deepened—Ryou-kun had begun growling softly at the boy's words. Looking up at the laid back boy he really wished he could understand what they were talking about.

"Not here, Sanoda," the girl replied tiredly, shutting the fridge after looking at its contents, "Not in front of the kid."

"What's it matter? He can't understand," the boy retorted, frowning down at Harry slightly, "Besides, he can't help it if he's got a no good father, can he? It's cause of the White Fang that my dad's dead."

"Sanoda," the girl groaned.

Ryou-kun was growling louder now and Harry wasn't sure what to think. Were these two dangerous? Or just the boy, maybe. Was that why the dog was acting like that? But if he was dangerous, Harry was sure Ryou-kun would have attacked by now.

"What? I'm just saying, that traitor's the reason this war's still going on, isn't he?" The boy said, "Everyone knows it—except _him_, I guess."

Ryou-kun had, apparently, had enough, and with one last growl the dog jumped at the boy, who backpedaled with a cry of alarm, raising his hands to fend off the angry dog.

"Sanoda!" The girl shouted, half in exasperation, half in concern, "I _told_ you!"

"Shut it! This crazy dog's trying to kill me!" The boy shouted back, ducking away from Ryou-kun's teeth as he reached for his kunai pouch.

The dog, catching the movement, immediately bit down on the threatening hand. The boy let out a startled cry of pain—it had been his injured arm, too—and tripped over a small bulge in the carpet.

Harry looked on with wide eyes, not sure if he should call Ryou-kun back from the obviously frightened teens or if he should be running to barricade himself in the next room.

"You idiot! Don't you know anything, Sanoda?!" The girl demanded, slipping out a handful of shuriken and tossing them towards her teammate—just over where he was sprawled and aimed towards the angry dog.

Ryou-kun released the boy's hand and jumped back from the incoming attack, allowing the throwing stars to clatter harmlessly across the floor or stick into the carpet.

The blue-haired boy scrambled to his feet and backwards, hastily jerking the door open with his good hand, "Hoshika! Hurry! That dog's mad! That whole family's mad!" The boy called out.

Ryou-kun stood between the two young shinobi and Harry, the fur on his back raised threateningly and growling menacingly. The girl looked uncertainly past him to the still confused boy standing besides his door.

Reluctantly, she turned away and followed the other boy out, still yelling at him for being such an idiot.

Ryou-kun only relaxed once the door was closed behind them and the lock engaged itself. Harry stared at the door uncertainly before walking up to the dog and absently patting its head.

The dog's behavior had been different from when they'd been attacked, but he had obviously been angry about something. Harry wondered if the dog had understood what the boy was saying. Did dogs get angry about things like that? This one must, Harry decided, and with a yawn, he headed to the kitchen to get them both breakfast.


	7. Life's Surprises

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I don't own Harry Potter, and I don't own a water buffalo.

Well, this should satisfy some of you who thought some things should be explained to Harry. The drastic differences between English culture and Konoha culture should be made a little more clear in this chapter, as well. And, hopefully, the time skip part near the end isn't too confusing... (If it is, let me know, and I'll try to find a way to do it more smoothly.)

The OCs in the beginning... will probably never be seen again. They may or may not make a brief camio appearance much later, but I'm not planning on it. The only thing I have to say about them is on their ages. Because of the war and the pressing need for more shinobi, graduation has been pushed forward to an average age of ten. Thus, ten-year-old Genin are in no way, shape, or form even remotely genius-esque. (Just want to make sure that's clear from the get-go.)

One more quick thing I almost forgot. Personal names, such as Kakashi and Harii are usually written in Katakana. According to Wikipedia, Kakashi's family name, Hatake, is written in Hiragana. (Which may or may not be completely accurate.) Also, Katakana and Hiragana are both considered to be "kana" writing systems.

Update: As EvilSpanker pointed out to me, in chapter 316 Kakashi mentions that most Jounin are able to manipulate more than two elemental natures. There has been a _slight_ change to reflect this by adding the requirement to the test near the end.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Your comments are very much appreciated! If you're still in school, have a good MEA weekend!

Chapter 7 – Life's Surprises

A loud, unattractive bleating noise broke the silence in the mostly abandoned hallway outside room 135. The young man from which the noise had originated smiled a little, cheeks pink, as he hid a broken party favor behind his back.

The brown haired man leaning against the wall across the hall from him, frowned slightly, eyebrows lowering in annoyance. "Can't you be serious for just a few minutes?"

The first man straightened defensively, dropping the discarded toy to the floor next to him, "Come _on_, Moony! It's not the first time a woman's given birth, you know!" He rolled his eyes for good measure.

"Sirius, it's respectful to keep your voice down in a hospital," Remus pointed out testily.

The other male sighed, leaning his head back against the wall and staring up at the florescent lights affixed to the ceiling, "You need to relax, Remus."

Silence settled in the hallway when the other man didn't reply.

At last a short, plump man with dirty-blonde hair, who stood next to Sirius, piped up in a nervous tone, "But they've been in there for a while, haven't they? Does it normally take this long?" He turned his gaze from Sirius to Remus, obviously worried.

"... It's been noted to take longer," Remus said carefully.

"First-borns usually take the longest," Sirius added, "Mum always said Reg came a lot easier."

There was another lengthy silence.

Remus checked his watch, "It's been five hours already," he murmured impatiently, "It's already the thirty-first, now."

Sirius groaned, "We're going to have to change the decorations."

Remus shot him an irritated look, "Are parties and decorations all you can think about?"

"You—you don't think Lily's in danger, do you?" Peter squeaked fearfully.

"Lily's fine," Sirius retorted, "She's not going to let a little thing like having a baby hurt her—she's got more guts than you, Wormtail."

Peter lowered his head, twisting his hands anxiously.

"Don't start on him, Sirius," Remus groaned, "He's just worried."

"And I'm just saying he doesn't need to be," Sirius snapped, "This is Lily and James we're talking about! If Voldemort"—Peter squeaked in fright—"can't stop them, nothing can!"

"Sirius, _please_," Remus started in exasperation.

Their rapidly dissolving conversation was interrupted by the sharp cry of an infant in the other room, and all three males immediately turned silent, eyes locking on the door.

* * *

"Another D-ranked mission?!" A boy with rusty-red hair tumbling off his head in unruly spikes complained loudly. 

The dark haired man walking in front of him did not seem amused. One black eyebrow ticked above a pair of glasses, "You lot should be grateful you're still allowed D-rank," he grumbled, "After the farce you made on your C-rank."

The children behind him shifted uneasily.

"It wasn't _our_ fault, sensei," a second boy complained, this one with longer black hair and one dark, horizontal line of paint smeared under each eye.

"Really?" The man asked dryly, turning slightly to look at the ten-year-old dubiously, "Then who's fault _was_ it?"

The boy was silent for a moment before bravely intoning, "It was those bandits! If they hadn't attacked, we would've completed it!"

"Yeah!" His rusty haired teammate agreed.

The man's eyebrow twitched again, "Is that what you _all_ think? Eiko?" His gaze turned to rest on the third teammate, a young girl with chin length mauve hair.

The girl flushed a little under his scrutiny and rubbed awkwardly at the bandages still covering her shoulder and most of her left arm—a final safety precaution after she'd had the large, clumsy cast removed a few days ago. She looked anxiously between her teacher and her two nodding teammates.

"A-anô... Yes, Hiko-sensei."

The man's eyebrow ticked a third time.

"You idiots!" He roared, earning surprised and disapproving looks from the others that shared the street with them. His three students looked marginally chastised. "As soon as we're done with this mission, you three are going to run laps around the village until you figure out what's wrong with that conclusion!" He announced, pausing for a moment before adding, "Or until your feet _bleed_! Whichever comes first!" He had a sinking suspicion that it may be the latter.

The three ten-year-olds looked horrified.

"But, sensei, that's not fair!" The rusty haired boy complained loudly.

"I know it wasn't really the bandits!" The second boy insisted.

His teacher regarded him coolly as they turned up another street, "Do you?" He asked dubiously, "Then whose fault was it? Masao?"

The dark haired boy flushed slightly, "Eto..."

Hiko snorted and looked at the other boy, "Toshio?"

The rusty haired boy frowned in thought before asking, "Nobody's?"

The man rolled his eyes, "Eiko?"

"Anô..." The girl studiously avoided looking at her teacher's face, a blush coloring her cheeks.

Hiko let out a heavy sigh, "Idiots," he grumbled again, turning towards the apartment building they were approaching.

"Why do we have to baby-sit a six-year-old, anyway, sensei?" Masao asked moodily, "Isn't he kind of old?"

Hiko rolled his eyes and led the way to the stairs, "It's not babysitting," he corrected, "We're just checking on him."

"For what?" Eiko asked curiously, blush subsiding.

The man shrugged, "You know... to make sure he's still there... isn't starving himself... still has enough food... that kind of stuff."

"... Isn't he kind of old?" Masao repeated after a moment.

His teammates nodded their agreement.

Hiko sighed, "As I understand it, Hatake Harii is from a civilian village somewhere outside Fire Nation. He hasn't been home alone before and his guardians just want to be sure he can handle it."

"Oh," Masao said flatly, not looking entirely convinced.

"Here it is," Hiko announced, stopping in front of a door and knocking three times.

"Sensei," Toshio started hesitantly, "When you said Hatake before..."

"I remembered that, too!" Eiko gasped, looking up at her teacher with wide eyes, "Isn't he the guy who started the war? Hatake-something?"

Masao frowned, looking between his teammates with confusion. "Stupid," he said to the girl, "It was Rock who started the war."

"No, it was him!" Toshio exclaimed, "O-jisan told me! And he was Hatake Sakumo; I remember 'cause he killed himself afterwards."

"Yeah!" Eiko agreed.

Masao frowned in disbelief.

"Now, now," Hiko interrupted, "Sakumo-san didn't _start_ the war, you guys. Actually, the war started because his team failed their mission, just like you guys that time."

The three Genin stared at him with disbelief and shock. Hiko knocked on the door again.

"But, sensei!" Eiko started in alarm.

"How could a whole war start just because of _one_ mission?" Masao demanded, eyes wide.

"Mou... There had been a lot of fighting already," the Jounin admitted, "That mission didn't even _start_ it, really. More like... it solidified it, you know?"

"But kaasan said—" Eiko started.

"This isn't the place to talk about it," Hiko interrupted sharply as he heard the lock scraping open, "Let's focus on completing our mission for now, got it?"

Reluctantly, the trio agreed, "Yes, sensei."

The door opened and a small, white haired child stared up at them blankly, an orange and white dog standing protectively at his side.

"_That's_ him?" Toshio blurted in surprise—he looked nothing like Toshio imagined the child of a man who single-handedly started a war between to nations would appear.

Hiko suppressed the ticking of his eyebrow, "Harii-kun, may we come in? We were told to check in on you."

The boy stared up at him blankly, head tilting slightly in acknowledgement of his name.

"Anô..." Eiko started uncertainly.

"Is he stupid?" Toshio asked tactlessly.

"Moron, shut up!" Masao hissed at his teammate.

Hiko scratched his head in bemusement and slipped out the concise briefing they'd been given at the mission desk. He quickly scanned the contents again as the five of them stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"Oh..." It was a small postscript hastily scribbled onto the bottom of the briefing. He'd failed to notice that small detail the first time he'd skimmed their orders.

"What?" Eiko asked.

"... It seems Harii-kun speaks a foreign language," the Jounin explained.

"Foreign language?" Toshio repeated dubiously.

"There are some people that don't speak the same language as us," Hiko explained uncertainly, "I think... I mean, there must be, that's what it says..."

The Genin still looked uncertain.

"Anyway," Hiko said, "It seems like we'll have to do more 'showing' than 'telling,' since he doesn't understand what we say." The man crouched down until he was about level with the small boy.

"Harii-kun," he started again to get the boy's attention. He spoke loudly and slowly, using as simple of words as he could and accenting them with motions of his hands that were meant to explain his meaning, "We. Are. Here. To. Help. You... May. We. Come. In?"

Harry blinked, frowning at the man.

Hiko stood, scratching his head and adjusting his glasses a little in bemusement. "We're here to _help_," he repeated helplessly, taking a step closer as he did so.

Harry stepped back quickly, moving out of the way of the incoming man.

The Jounin blinked in surprise, then smirked and led his team inside.

"See?" He asked them, "That wasn't so hard. Masao, you go check the kitchen for food," he pointed to the kitchenette on the left, then at a door on the right, "And Toshio, make sure the bathroom's clean."

The boy groaned and complained, but drug his feet in the indicated direction.

"You check his room, Eiko," the man added, pointing to the open door further back from the bathroom. He hesitated and looked down at Harry, "Yours?"

The boy stared at him blankly.

"Your room?" Hiko repeated more insistently, "Um... Harii-kun's?"

Frowning, Harry looked between the man and where he was pointing, then nodded, "Hai."

Hiko smiled slightly and urged his student on, "Go on, Eiko. I'll..." He looked at the six-year-old uncertainly, "That is, I'll _try_ to talk to Harii-kun."

Crouching down, the man dropped to Harry's eye level again, "I'm Kimoto Hiko," he explained, then hesitated and repeated, "Hiko," a little louder.

"... Hiko," Harry repeated with an uncertain frown. Was he going to live with this man from now on instead of sensei and Kakashi?

Hiko grinned and nodded encouragingly, "Right, hai. And this is my team. Masao, Toshio, and Eiko." He motioned in the direction each student had disappeared in—Harry's head twisted around rapidly in an attempt to follow the man's gestures, then returned to the man, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

"Right, well..." Hiko scratched his head, "Have you been eating well, Harii?"

At the boy's continued blank expression, he repeated, "_Eating_?" And accompanied the louder word with exaggerated hand motions.

Harry flushed and ducked his head, shifting awkwardly. After several seconds, he reluctantly nodded and offered a meek, "Hai."

Baffled by his response, the man nodded slowly and asked, "So... you _have_ been _eating_? Yes?"

"Yes..." Harry confirmed again—Ryou-kun nudged at his arm for support and Harry instinctively scratched the dog's head in response, feeling a little better for it.

"Good," the man nodded, then smiled confusedly, "I don't really get you, Harii-kun," he admitted, "But it's good that you're eating, right?"

Harry stared at him uncertainly.

"The bathroom's fine," Toshio announced, emerging from the small room in a huff, "There's enough toilet paper and soap and stuff, too."

Hiko nodded and stood. "Good. How's the kitchen, Masao?" He called over his shoulder.

"I think there's enough food for a _month_," the dark haired boy decided, meandering back out.

Eiko emerged from the bedroom, as well. "It looks fine, Hiko-sensei," she reported, "His futon was still out, so I folded it up, okay?"

The Jounin nodded, "Does he have clean clothes?"

The girl hesitated, then nodded, "I think so."

"Good," Hiko said. He looked back down at Harry uncertainly, then reached down to ruffle his hair, "Looks like you're doing okay, Harii-kun."

Harry stared at him with a small frown of confusion.

"Well... we're done here," he moved towards the door, ushering his students in front of him. Harry trailed uncertainly behind him. "Make sure to lock the door behind us, okay?" The Jounin added, pausing in the doorway to look back at the small boy.

Harry stared blankly at him.

"The... lock," Hiko offered lamely, pointing to it on the door, "Okay? Got it?"

Harry gave no indication one way or the other.

Hiko scratched the back of his head again, "Goodbye," he offered awkwardly, pulling the door after him as he stepped into the hall.

"Sayonara!" The three Genin echoed just before the door closed.

Harry stared at the door dumbly for a moment, wondering what had just happened. At length, he stepped forward to slide the lock back into place. Once it settled, his hand lingered a moment longer.

"... Sayonara," he whispered forlornly before drawing his hand back and turning around.

Ryou-kun barked cheerfully, bounding to his side with his tail wagging enthusiastically. Harry smiled slightly and scratched the dog's head again.

Maybe they could go outside later—animals liked being outside, didn't they?

* * *

Harry frowned up at the building he'd been thrown out of twice now, Ryou-kun at his side. The first time had been by a rather gruff, tall and muscular man with one of those metal plates tied around his head. He'd spoken roughly as he escorted Harry out, and the six-year-old thought the marks from where he'd grabbed him were starting to bruise on his arm. The second had been a woman, and she'd been much nicer about it, speaking gently as she steered him back outside. 

The more he thought about it, the more he thought Kakashi must be in there, and everyone was trying to keep him away.

He knew the older boy spent quite a bit of time there—the day he'd spent with him they'd been there half for hours. He couldn't figure out why everyone would want to keep him from Kakashi, but it was becoming annoying.

Sensei and Kakashi had been gone for a long time, Harry thought. Days and days—three, at least. He often found Ryou-kun staring out the window, and he was pretty sure the dog was watching for his master, so he thought they should have been back by now.

"Harii-kun?"

The six-year-old looked up at the feminine voice speaking his name, surprised.

Kushina had a surprised look on her face, and she was dressed similarly to sensei, in rugged black pants that ended around mid-shin, a tight black shirt with long arms that ran to just below her elbows, a large, bulky green vest and the metal plate that was becoming very familiar tied around her forehead. She smiled, still looking a little confused, and held a hand out to him.

Harry looked balefully up at the building he wasn't allowed in, and went to her, Ryou-kun pacing after him.

"What are you doing here?" The woman asked.

Closer now, Harry could see that she was very dirty. She smelled of mud and something unpleasant that he couldn't quite place. It seemed vaguely familiar, but he wasn't sure.

Harry frowned, thinking of how to communicate his concern to her. He raised his free hand and pointed up at the building, "Kakashi-niisan."

The woman blinked and her smile softened, "Did Kakashi-kun go in there, Harii? Are you looking for him?"

Harry stared at her—he recognized Kakashi's name, but wasn't sure what she'd said about him. He pointed and reaffirmed his previous statement a little more emphatically, "Kakashi-niisan."

"We can go in and ask the Hokage about him," Kushina suggested, stepping towards the building with his hand in hers.

Harry smiled a little, sure that she'd understood, and went with her. She was always nice to him, and he was sure she wouldn't let any of those mean people throw him out again.

People greeted the woman as they entered, a few eyes lingered on Harry, but he was ignored for the most part. He preferred it that way. If they were ignoring him, they couldn't be yelling at him or trying to get rid of him.

She led the way upstairs, where Harry had seen Kakashi go a few times before. Ryou-kun trailed after them. Harry waited impatiently for them to be allowed into the office.

"Hokage-sama," Kushina acknowledged. Harry watched her salute, belatedly remembering he was supposed to bow.

The Hokage looked her over, then to Harry at her side with a single raised eyebrow, before turning his attention back to the woman, "Kushina-san, I have been expecting you."

"It took a little longer than planned," the woman replied wryly, dropping Harry's hand to pull a scroll from one of her pockets and hand it over.

The Hokage gave the scroll a cursory look before returning his attention to the pair, "And you've found Harii-kun already, I see."

"He was waiting outside when I arrived," the woman supplied, dropping a hand on the boy's messy white hair with a bemused smile, "I'm not sure, but I think he thinks Kakashi's here."

"Ah... Kakashi and his team are on a mission right now," the Hokage supplied, looking at the boy thoughtfully, "They should be returning today or tomorrow; certainly very soon. I believe Minato-san is hoping you will watch Harii-kun until his return."

"He's been left alone?" The woman asked with surprise, "How long have they been gone?"

"We've had shinobi out there to check on him," the Hokage assured her, "And, as you can see, he was not left entirely alone. This will be the fourth day since their departure."

Kushina still looked unhappy, but she reluctantly dismissed it. Harry was living with two very important shinobi, he would have to get used to being left alone. Besides, he didn't look much worse off—he looked better than the last time she'd seen him, in fact—if she ignored how forlorn he appeared as he searched for his brother.

"I'll look after him," she relented. She turned to the boy, "Harii, Kakashi-kun isn't here right now, do you understand?"

The boy stared at her blankly, head tilted slightly in question.

"Kakashi is with Minato-san on a mission," the Hokage explained carefully, addressing the boy in his own language, "He'll be back soon."

Harry frowned in confusion, "Mission...?" He repeated.

The Hokage nodded, "Kakashi and Minato are two of my important shinobi," he explained, "They go on missions to protect the village."

"Oh..." Harry said, still looking a little confused.

Ryou-kun stood, tail wagging as he barked. Blinking, Kushina looked at the dog. At least one of them had understood.

"They are coming back, though?" Harry asked uncertainly.

The Hokage smiled, "Yes, they are," he confirmed, "They'll probably be home by tomorrow."

Harry thought a moment longer and nodded. He could wait another day for them.

The Hokage turned back to Kushina, "I believe Harii-kun now understands the situation, to some extent," he said, "It seems he was worried they would not be returning. I have explained things to him."

The woman smiled slightly and bowed briefly to the man, "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

He nodded and she took hold of Harry's hand again, leading him from the room.

Bemused, the boy allowed the woman to lead him from the building again, absently listening to her speaking to him, tone light and friendly but words foreign.

* * *

Harry looked up from the scroll he was writing on when the door opened. Ryou-kun was already at the door, tail wagging like it would break off his body at any moment, and Harry's face lit up with excitement as the older white haired boy stepped through the doorway, patting the dog absently on the head and tolerating its exuberant welcome. 

He looked like he hadn't slept in several days, his hair was much more bedraggled than usual, plastered down and stained with mud in some places, and dark circles stood out against his pale face under his eyes. His clothes were even worse, muddy and disheveled and even torn a little.

"Kakashi-niisan!" Harry called out excitedly, running over to the older boy before stopping short as he remembered Kakashi's aversion to physical contact.

"Tadaima," Kakashi responded tiredly, patting the boy's head absently as though he were another dog.

Behind him, Minato encouraged him further into the room so he could enter as well. He grinned at the tired boy and ruffled his hair—for once Kakashi didn't protest—then did the same to Harry with a warm greeting.

"Welcome home," Kushina put in as the pair began dropping their bags and vests beside the door.

Minato looked up, his tired grin widening at the sight of the woman, "Kushina-san, I'm glad you made it back safely."

"I always do," Kushina retorted, "You look terrible."

The blonde laughed breathlessly, "At least I don't look as bad as I feel, then."

Kushina laughed. "Welcome home, Kakashi-kun," she added, turning to the younger shinobi.

Kakashi grunted a response, already moving towards his room.

"Harii-kun was looking for you down at the Hokage's Tower," she said, "I think you really had him worried, running off like that."

Kakashi grunted again, hand on the door.

"Kakashi-niisan!" Harry called out excitedly, having retrieved his scroll from the table and now wheedling his way up next to the older boy to show him it.

Dully, the twelve-year-old's eyes lowered to see what the younger boy was holding aloft. He stared blankly at the poorly shaped hiragana and katakana that, despite the poor penmanship, clearly spelt out familiar names.

_Hatake Harii_ was written several times, and _Kakashi_ was written a few more times below that.

"I thought he should at least know how to write his name," Kushina said by way of explanation for the boy.

"Hmm," Kakashi grunted before moving into the bedroom and shutting the door for a little privacy before stripping off most of his clothes and collapsing on his futon almost before he'd rolled it out.

Harry stared at the shut door in mute surprise for several seconds after it closed, then he looked back at the two adults, confusion evident in his expression. They smiled at him.

"Kakashi-kun's just tired, Harii-kun," Minato explained with a yawn of his own. When the boy showed no sign of understanding, he tried again, "He's _tired_," he emphasized, "Had to go to sleep."

"Sleep," Harry mused, recognizing the word, "Kakashi-niisan... tired?"

Minato grinned, "Right, he's tired, so he has to sleep. Show him again in the morning."

The boy stared at him for a long moment before nodding and taking the scroll back to his table. Minato turned to Kushina, "Think he understood any of that?"

The woman smiled and shrugged, "I don't know," she replied, "He's doing much better though, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Minato agreed, watching the boy thoughtfully, "Ever since he spent that time alone with Kakashi..."

"Oh?" Kushina asked, turning to him curiously.

"The rest of us went on a mission while Kakashi stuck around to finish off some details for his test," he explained, "So I left Harii-kun with him for the day. The next morning he was talking and everything, I just wonder what Kakashi did to get him to break out of his shell."

"I guess Kakashi-kun is better with kids than we thought," Kushina said thoughtfully, "It's cute that Harii-kun calls him niisan. Does he know what it means?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Minato replied with a shrug, "I guess Kakashi must've taught him to say it, though." He grinned, "When I asked him about it he wouldn't answer one way or another, but it's not like Harii-kun could have heard it anywhere else."

"I think it will be good for both of them," Kushina said, "To have real family again."

"Yeah," Minato agreed absently.

* * *

He felt a familiar warmth radiating from nearby as his body slowly began to rouse. Something touched him, rough and wet against his face. His instincts would normally jolt him awake at finding someone so close to him, but the feeling was familiar in a comforting way and his barely conscious mind soon identified the perpetrator. 

A cold nose prodded at his neck and his eyes shut more tightly in protest. One arm snaked out from under his covers to pat the dog on the head, then scratch behind his ear. Ryou-kun made an appreciative noise, instinctively leaning into Kakashi's fingers. A moment later he remembered himself and pulled back, grumbling deep in his throat.

Kakashi's eyes blinked open at last and he frowned slightly in confusion as he looked up at the dog. Somewhere in the back of his mind he recalled forgetting to release him when he'd returned the day before.

The dog growled again and Kakashi's expression sharpened, frown hardening and eyes sharpening as the lingering effects of sleep and exhaustion left him. He sat up.

"What?" He demanded of the Ninken.

The series of low growls and sharp barks that followed would have been baffling to most humans. In fact, the noises themselves did little to assist the young summoner in understanding the dog's story at all. The understanding took place on a deeper level, somewhere within his being—in every molecule of his blood, which he'd used to sign a pact almost seven years before. It was an old and mysterious link, and while it was sometimes questioned, it had never been fully explained.

Kakashi's expression darkened, then turned blank as the dog fell silent. His blood boiled inside of him, but the twelve-year-old kept his face carefully schooled.

"Ryou-kun," he said at last, "You should not have attacked him."

The dog barked in protest, hair raising on his back and very much in tune to the emotions below his master's cool exterior.

"For some people, all they can do is talk," Kakashi retorted coolly, "We've heard it all before." But for some reason, he couldn't help but feel more irked than usual. Comments of that nature—regarding his father, and him, to some extent—were less and less frequent these days, so he could accord it to the months it had been since the last one he'd heard. He knew intrinsically that that wasn't the reason it bothered him so much, though.

He was brutally honest to himself as he admitted that it was only because the nin had said it to Harry. His brother, Harry, who knew nothing of the shinobi way and was ignorant to the dishonor that sullied their father's name. He didn't know why—it certainly could be no misplaced loyal ties to his late father—but he had no desire for Harry to find out about the White Fang's fall from glory. In fact, he had every desire to prevent it.

It wasn't a logical line of thought; if anything, he should welcome Harry's discovery of their sire's downfall, as a lesson and a warning. And it frustrated the young shinobi to realize that the emotions he _wasn't_ supposed to have were getting in the way of his logic.

Ryou-kun whined, pressing his nose into the unresponsive boy's hand and breaking Kakashi from his thoughts.

The boy's eyes focused on his dog once more and he felt a second spark of annoyance—accompanied with a cruel satisfaction that Ryou-kun had attacked the nin. Chances were, he wouldn't be saying things like that around his brother again.

"Good job, Ryou-kun," he muttered, "You can go back now."

The dog sat back and barked once, tail flopping around a few times, before disappearing in a small cloud of smoke. Kakashi coughed, waving his hand in front of his face—at least Ryou-kun could have moved back a little before disappearing. Annoying dog. His eyes rose to the door as it started to shift, and his teacher looked in through the crack before pulling the door the rest of the way open, grinning.

"I see you finally decided to wake up," the man said in an amused tone.

Kakashi scowled and got out of bed, automatically moving through the mundane process of folding his futon up properly. "What time is it?" The question came out a little sharper than he intended.

"Almost eleven," Minato replied, "We were going to wake you up for lunch soon if you didn't get up by yourself."

Standing, Kakashi looked around with a slight frown—he'd had to move most of his clothes from his drawers to make room for Harry's things, and that which he didn't had been packed for the mission. He turned to his teacher, frown still in place.

Minato chuckled at the dark look, "Harii-kun and I brought our uniforms to the cleaners earlier," he stated, "I'll get something for you to wear in the meantime."

Ten minutes later, Kakashi emerged from his room in loose black pants that he'd tied down around his ankles with white tape, and a light blue top that felt stiff because he never wore it. He was adjusting the collar of the gi unhappily as he stepped into the main room, a spare mask he'd found in the bottom of his bag clashing with the otherwise traditional outfit.

"You know, you didn't have to wear the mask," Minato commented with amusement upon seeing him, "We have the day off."

Kakashi scowled underneath the material, "Always be prepared, sensei," the boy said derisively, "That's the first shinobi law."

The man raised an eyebrow, still looking amused, "I've memorized the same code as you, Kakashi, I think I know which tenet you're referring to."

The boy stared back at him dubiously before taking a seat at the small table, irritation practically radiating from him. Harry, apparently, didn't notice.

"Kakashi-niisan," the younger boy started—the paper he had been working on the day before was still out. He carefully put down the brush he'd been practicing with, "Here."

"Look, I think is what you mean, Harii-kun," Minato offered helpfully, moving to the opposite side of the table, "Look."

The boy stared at him blankly for a moment before turning his attention back to the older boy, "Here, Kakashi-niisan."

Minato sighed exasperatedly, but a smile remained on his face.

Kakashi reluctantly turned his eyes to see what the younger boy was going on about, putting a tight lid on his simmering temper.

Harry proudly held out his scroll for the other boy to look at. Beside the kana, he'd written his own name in romaji, though the letters were still a little crudely formed.

Kakashi stared dully at the scroll, not sure what he was supposed to be looking at. Uncertainly, he glanced at his teacher.

Minato raised an eyebrow, "Harii-kun's been learning how to write his name," he said carefully, "Don't you think he did a good job, Kakashi-kun?"

Kakashi looked back at the paper, frowning slightly—it certainly wasn't anything to brag about, even _his_ calligraphy was better than that.

"It's good, don't you think?" Minato prompted again.

"Aa," Kakashi said unenthusiastically. Today wasn't turning out to be much better than yesterday had been.

Harry frowned, looking up at the older boy unhappily. That was it?

"Kakashi," Minato started with a frown.

The Chuunin stood, "I'm going down to the training grounds, sensei," he said, already moving around the table to the door. He would imagine his training target was Sanoda.

"Kakashi," the man said again, rising to his feet and following, "You need to have something to eat first."

"I'll pick something up on the way," Kakashi dismissed.

"Don't you think you should say something to your brother, first?" The blonde demanded, "He was worried while you were gone, remember?"

Kakashi shot the adult an annoyed look over his shoulder before looking back at Harry. "Sayonara, Harii-san," he said blandly before continuing out the door, adding "Ittekimasu" needlessly.

Minato sighed, walking back over to the table and the disappointed looking six-year-old. He worked up a smile, "That's Kakashi for you," he commented lightly, "You can never really tell what he's thinking, can you?"

Harry didn't seem at all comforted.

"It's nothing personal, kid," Minato added, smile softening a little, "Kakashi's just like that... he doesn't let people in close." He chuckled dryly, "He hardly even lets _me_ in close. Give him some time and he'll come around."

Harry made no response.

"In the meantime," Minato's smile blossomed into a grin, "What do you say to some ramen?"

* * *

Team Yellow Flash had earned a little time off. Their teacher made plans to take the three of them—plus Harry—to a nearby hot springs as reward for a job well done. Kakashi was relieved when the morning they were supposed to leave, Minato was called in for an urgent mission and the trip was delayed. Indefinitely, with luck.

Kushina had a few more days off, as well, and Kakashi took full advantage of her fondness towards Harry, leaving the six-year-old in her care while he got in some much needed training. He still had no idea when his next test would be, but it had been two weeks since his last, and he could only assume his turn would be coming up very soon.

"Kakashi-kun," Kushina's voice interrupted the twelve-year-old on his way to the door. Reluctantly, the boy stopped and looked back.

"Hai, Kushina-san?" He acknowledged politely.

The woman looked a little concerned, "Kakashi-kun, I'm leaving for another mission tonight."

"Hmm," the boy responded in disinterest.

"Minato-san isn't back yet," the woman added.

Kakashi didn't respond—his teacher had left several days before with hardly a word, presumably on a high class mission. He'd barely been home for one whole day at the time. The boy's expression darkened slightly. He was up for his Jounin test; he'd make it this time, then he'd be the one going on the high class missions.

"You're going to have to keep charge of Harii-kun," Kushina pointed out.

Kakashi turned back towards the door, "I'm busy right now."

Kushina frowned, "Kakashi-kun..."

"I'll ask Rin to watch him," the boy excused.

Kushina's frown deepened slightly, "Kakashi-kun, he's your brother. You shouldn't push him off on others unless you absolutely need to."

"Half brother," the boy grunted.

"Kakashi-kun," Kushina said again.

"Ittekimasu, Kushina-san," Kakashi said as he opened the door, leaving without another look back.

Kushina sighed and turned to Harry who had ignored Kakashi's brief passing. She smiled, ruffling the boy's untidy hair affectionately, "Kakashi-kun does care, Harii-kun," she told the boy softly, "He just doesn't know how to show it. Remember, he left Ryou-kun for you, didn't he?"

The boy looked up at the mention of the dog, a small smile on his face, "Ryou-kun."

"See? Kakashi-kun was just as worried about you as you were about him," the woman said.

Harry stared at her, not appearing to get the point. Kushina sighed—it would be so much easier if the boy could understand what they were saying.

* * *

"Kakashi!" 

The white-haired boy didn't look up from the tree he was brutally pummeling with Taijutsu.

"Kakashi, I have something for you!" Gai's boisterous voice was a little breathless, but Kakashi still didn't acknowledge him. "It's from Hokage-sama!"

That made the boy pause. Frowning slightly, he stilled, turning so he was half facing away from his target, looking at the green clad boy expectantly.

With a grin, Gai bounded across to him, a small scroll in one hand, "I have finally found you, my rival!" He held out the scroll, eyes serious, "Hokage-sama stated that it was urgent for you to receive this."

"Aa," Kakashi commented without interest, taking the scroll from the other boy's hand and calmly breaking the seal. He unrolled it, sharp eyes taking in the brief message written there.

"What is it?" Gai asked curiously, fighting the temptation to lean in and read over his rival's shoulder.

"The next portion of the test," Kakashi said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Tomorrow at 0800." He paused, then rolled the scroll back up, "In the stadium."

"The stadium?" Gai repeated, sounding confused, "That's where the Chuunin exams are held."

Kakashi didn't respond, slipping the small scroll into a pocket.

"What are you going to do?" Gai asked eagerly, "Is it a fight?"

Kakashi still made no response.

Gai's eyes suddenly burned with determination, "Even if it is against the Hokage himself, I believe in you, Kakashi! Fight with all your strength, my rival, and know that I will be cheering you on! Nothing can stand in our way for long!"

"... Please don't do that," Kakashi said dryly, looking crossly at the arm the other boy had draped across his shoulders as he was moved by his own speech.

Gai jumped back as though burned, "As cool as ever, I see, Kakashi."

Kakashi stared balefully at him.

"But one day you will surrender to my manly devotions!" The black-haired boy insisted. He thrust a finger in the other boy's face, "Whether or not you accept me, Kakashi, you are my rival and we are destined to be so for eternity! After all, isn't the score only 15-16?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes—again with that score.

"Is that contempt?" Gai demanded, getting himself riled up, "Right here, right now, Kakashi! Even if you soon become a Jounin, I will show you that there is no replacement for the mighty power of Maito Gai!"

"... I don't feel like it," Kakashi said simply before disappearing in a leap.

Gai frowned after him, musing aloud, "There is something different about you, Kakashi. What is it that has been changing you?"

* * *

"I'm sorry, Kakashi-kun, but Rin isn't here right now," the woman replied apologetically, "She's at the hospital for her lessons." 

Kakashi frowned. If she was taking lessons right now she probably wouldn't be happy about him trying to send Harry to her. He glanced across at the younger boy, debating what to do.

"I'll tell her you stopped by, though," Rin's mother was saying.

"Don't bother," Kakashi said. He bowed slightly, "Thank you for your time, Tanaka-san. Harii-san, let's go."

Harry trailed behind him obediently as he turned from the house. It would be tight, but he was pretty sure he'd be able to make it over to the Uchiha complex and back before the test started. Nodding to himself, he picked up the pace, calling over his shoulder for Harry to hurry up.

Kakashi ignored the stares sent their way as they entered the Uchiha complex—outsiders hardly ever went inside unless they were on important business for the Hokage. He'd been to Obito's house once before and led the way unerringly, straight to his teammate's front door. He knocked twice and stepped back, waiting for a response.

A woman with long brown hair opened the front door shortly. She stared at the boys for a moment before connecting their faces to her memories, and smiled. "Ah, Kakashi-kun, right? You're Obito's teammate." Her eyes hesitated on Harry, "Who's your little friend?"

"This is Harii-san," Kakashi answered concisely, "Is Obito here?"

"He's here," the woman replied, "But I'm afraid I can't let you visit him today, Kakashi-kun. Obito has come down with a cold."

Kakashi stared at her blankly—how much worse could his luck get? Rin was studying at the hospital and Obito was useless with a cold.

"It's been going around the kids for a while now," the woman explained, "One of them probably picked it up at the Academy. But Obito is contagious right now, so you wouldn't want to see him."

"I see," Kakashi said, "Thanks anyway, Uchiha-san," he added with a brief nod before turning to leave again—he had to hurry to make it to his appointment on time, "Harii-san, quickly."

* * *

"Hmm... where is that boy?" The Hokage muttered to himself, glancing at a golden watch connected to a long chain. There were still a few minutes before the set time, but it wasn't like Kakashi to cut it so close. 

"Harii-san, hurry!" Kakashi's voice cut through the otherwise quiet of the waiting shinobi. A moment later he was in view, running through the open doors of the stadium grounds, Harry ran in behind him, breathing hard.

Kakashi stopped in front of the Hokage and hastily bowed, "I'm very sorry, Hokage-sama," he apologized quickly, "Kushina-san left on a mission last night and I've been trying to find someone to watch after Harii-san."

The Hokage smiled, his earlier impatience forgotten, "I take it you didn't find anyone."

The boy shook his head apologetically, "Iie. Rin is busy today and Obito is sick, I didn't have time to ask anyone else."

"It's quite alright," the Hokage assured him, "Harii-kun may remain with me for the duration of your examination."

Kakashi's eyes flashed briefly with surprise before it was covered. He bowed again, "Thank you very much, Hokage-sama." He shot a pointed look at the younger boy, but Harry just stared blankly at him.

The Hokage smiled slightly, "Now, Harii-kun and I will vacate the grounds. Nanjiro-san, I leave it to you to explain to Kakashi-san."

A man with long, dark brown hair tied up behind his head, nodded in response, "Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Harii-kun, come with me, please," the Hokage added, pausing to look across at the boy.

Harry looked uncertainly between the old man and Kakashi. Kakashi's expression was blank and he didn't even look at the younger boy. Hesitantly, Harry followed the man.

"This will be a formal demonstration of your prowess, Kakashi-san," Nanjiro started formally, voice projecting loudly into the nearly empty stadium. "The requirements of promotion to Jounin are fifteen Ninjutsu consisting of at least two distinct elemental natures, ten Taijutsu, and five Genjutsu, with at least thirty techniques minimum. Also required for promotion is one technique belonging to any of the three categories which is original and created by you. This technique will not count toward the requirement of thirty known techniques. Understand?"

Kakashi nodded, dark eyes hard and determined. He could do that.

"Forty targets have been placed around the field," the Jounin continued, face stony, "Begin when you are ready, Kakashi-san."

With another nod, Kakashi flashed into motion.

* * *

"Psst—hey!" Harry blinked at the soft voice coming from behind him. He frowned, reluctantly turning when a hand shook his shoulder—down in the stadium below, Kakashi was doing things he'd never even dreamt possible. 

When he looked the familiar blonde waved happily at him. Harry looked away again, returning his eyes to the other white-haired boy, so far below. His shoulder was shaken again.

"Hey, come on!" The whispered voice was insistent, "We need to get busy, Harii-kun! Let's go."

"But... Kakashi-niisan," Harry protested weakly as his arm was seized and he was pulled from his chair.

"We'll see him later," the man insisted, "Now, come on, if we make too much of a scene he might notice!"

Harry wanted to protest, but the man seemed determined, and he knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't be easily dissuaded.

"Thank you for this, Hokage-sama," the blonde added, tugging on Harry's hand to get the reluctant boy through the door at the back of the balcony.

"Of course," the Hokage replied with a small smile, eyes never leaving the field below, "Have fun, Minato."

With another grin, the blonde disappeared through the door, Harry close behind. With the distraction of Kakashi's demonstration out of the way, the pair made quick time out of the stadium. Out front, Rin and Obito were waiting for them.

Minato grinned, "Are you guys ready?"

Rin nodded.

Obito crossed his arms with a scowl, "I don't see why we have to do this, anyway."

"It'll be fun," Minato assured him. "Rin, you'll take charge of decorations, and Obito, you get the food. Harii-kun and I will get presents."

Obito sighed, resting his hands behind his head, "He's going to kill us when he finds out."

A dangerous gleam entered the man's eyes, "For the last three years I've been trying to throw that brat a birthday party—this year we're going to do it! If you don't take this seriously, he's going to find out and we'll fail. Do you want to be beaten by Kakashi again, Obito?"

The black haired boy scowled—that was a low hit. "I'm only agreeing 'cause I know it'll bug Kakashi," he grumbled.

"That's the spirit!" Minato encouraged—Rin sweat-dropped. "Okay, team, let's move out! Operation: Birthday Surprise, go!"

The three nin scattered, Minato dragging behind him an unfortunate Harry.


	8. The Stronger Will

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Harry Potter, or any sushi at the moment. There'd be a lot more walking upside down if I did (unless it was only the sushi I owned). Because walking upside down is cool.

Thanks to my many reviewers! (I'm excited because we're almost to 100.) I would like to take a moment to make one thing perfectly clear, though... Hogwarts will not be in this story. It may be in the flashbacks briefly, but it won't be in the main story line. That's not to say there won't be any magic, but this story takes place entirely in Konoha. However, there will be a sequel that has a lot to do with Hogwarts, and you can read about it in my profile (near the bottom). Hope you like it!

Chapter 8 – The Stronger Will 

"James, darling, I love you, but I can't feel my hand," Lily panted as she regained her breath and the baby's screams began to quiet.

James flushed slightly, hurriedly releasing his wife's hand and muttering apologies, his anxious eyes never leaving the child that the mid-wives had taken to the other side of the room. Pulling himself away as the medi-wizard began a brief after-birth examination of his wife, the man edged across the room to where the two females were just finishing an examination of his baby.

"How is he?" He asked nervously—he couldn't help it, Lily had spent a long time in labor and he was worried whether it had affected the baby's health or not.

"Quite well, Mr. Potter," one of the woman assured him with a smile as she wrapped the infant in a blanket, "You now have a healthy baby boy on your hands—and quite a cute one, too, I must say."

James took the infant with something closely resembling reverence when the second witch held him out, and his eyes roved the child's pink face admiringly. He had a bulgy, baby chin, and fairly narrow cheek-bones, James thought, although at the moment they were puffed out with baby fat—he would probably look quite hansom when he was grown. A small smile graced the man's face as he met the baby's bright eyes, already beginning to darken into a shade of green darker, but reminiscent of Lily's.

The smile faded abruptly as his eyes finished their journey upwards to land on the wisps of light colored hair on top of the baby's head. Lily's was a dark red and his own was black, so where did the baby get blonde from?

His heart skipped a beat and he felt a chill inside of him as he leaned closer, observing the child's hair more critically and moving it between his fingers. Dread coiled in his stomach—that hair was even lighter than blonde, it was white, and there could be no mistaking it.

It took several minutes for him to get over the shock and his mind to finally accept what he was seeing. Even as he realized it was the only thing that _could_ have happened, he still didn't want to believe it, and he didn't realize his wife was calling to him until the third or fourth time she'd repeated his name.

"James," the woman said again in exasperation, "Bring him here, will you? Don't hog our baby all to yourself."

James looked over his shoulder—the medi-wizard had left, and only one of the witches remained, finishing up something beside his wife. She noticed his gaze as she started for the door.

"Shall I ask your friends to come in, Mr. Potter?" The woman questioned.

"Er, I'll get them in a minute," James said awkwardly, turning his eyes back to the infant as the woman nodded and left.

His heart hammered loudly in his ears, distracting him as he tried to think of a way out of this mess. Lily couldn't be blamed, of course, she'd thought it was him she was sleeping with. If anyone was the perpetrator here it was that man. Guilt began to creep in his thoughts as he realized he _had_ told the other to act like him—what did he expect him to do? He admitted reluctantly to himself that he hadn't thought of that eventuality, but now that it entered his mind he allowed that it was as much his fault as the ninja's.

Still, he couldn't let Lily find out. This was more than him ignoring her advice and going out against his word. Now it was about her child, their marriage. Lily would be furious, and badly hurt, as well, if she found out about what happened.

This baby would completely ruin everything.

The infant made a soft, gurgling noise and James looked down, eyes meeting with the infant's again. They were large and bright and completely innocent and James felt his gut constrict further. It wasn't the baby's fault any more than it was Lily's, he couldn't blame it for his own mistakes, or those of its father.

"James," Lily said again, an unhappy frown on her lips.

"Er, in a minute, Lily," the man replied awkwardly, turning his back a little further and slipping his wand from his sleeve. He stared at the baby uncertainly before giving the stick a small swish, flicking it down on the head of light hair.

The baby hardly seemed to feel it, though an odd look did pass over the infant's face for a moment. He looked over his handiwork again and smiled in relief.

A dark head of hair was the reward for his efforts. A glamour spell would hide him temporarily, at least, but he'd have to come up with something more permanent soon, before it wore off. Something that wasn't so easily compromised.

He returned his wand to his sleeve and forced a wide grin, turning to face his wife again, baby in arms.

"Alright, alright, here he is," James said, placing the infant in her waiting arms.

Lily smiled adoringly down at the baby, stroking it's dark hair lovingly. James felt sick at the thought of hiding this from her—but what else could he do? It would be better if she didn't know, if she thought the baby was both of theirs.

"I'll get the others, shall I?" He offered.

The woman nodded slightly, eyes still fixed on her baby.

* * *

Obito perused the shelves of the local grocer carefully. He knew what he wanted—he'd bought a neat cake in the shape of a kunai with grape frosting, several bags of chips (he was hoping to get Kakashi to try the wasabi flavor), and several large orders of sushi. As it was Kakashi's birthday, though, he really thought he should at least try to get something the younger boy would like. Unfortunately, he couldn't find anything.

Briefly, the thirteen-year-old thought he might get a package of ration bars, as it was one of the few foods he'd never heard the other boy complain about. Then he stopped himself, because no one could possibly actually _like_ those dry nutrition bars—not even Kakashi could be that crazy.

With a sigh of exhaustion, the boy scrubbed his hands through his hair, "Gak! This is impossible! Oh... Hey, Asuma!" He called out, waving as he saw a familiar face.

The other boy smiled and walked toward him, idly munching on a stick of candy, "Hey, Obito," he glanced into the other boy's basket and raised one eyebrow, "Where's the party?"

Obito scowled, "Sensei's making us throw a party for _Kakashi_."

The other boy tilted his head with interest, "Kakashi? As in Hatake Kakashi?"

"You know him?" Obito asked in surprise.

Asuma shrugged, pulling a second treat from his box, "I've seen him a few times. He's been a ninja since _forever_, and my dad's always talking about him." He rolled his eyes.

"Oh..." Obito paused, then grinned, "Well, you wanna come?"

Asuma removed the candy from his mouth, "Seriously?"

"Yeah!" Obito agreed enthusiastically, "It's supposed to be a party, right? What's a party without guests?"

The other boy smiled, "Sure, why not? I'd like to meet this kid that's supposed to be so great. You know he's up for Jounin already?"

Obito scowled, "Don't remind me. He's being _so_ annoying about it, too."

"You think _he's_ being annoying," Asuma retorted, rolling his eyes, "Dad can't go a day without telling me about Kakashi." He lowered his voice to a rough imitation of the Hokage, "_He's your age, you know, if you put a little more effort into your training, you could be a Jounin, too._"

Obito snickered, "Yeah, well Kakashi's all like, _I'm going to be a Jounin soon and then you'll have to call me captain._" He rolled his eyes, "He thinks he's so mature, but he acts worse than my little cousins sometimes."

Asuma really looked interested now, "The way my dad tells it, you'd never know."

Obito shrugged, "Sensei doesn't get it, either. So, are you going to come?"

Asuma nodded, "Mind if I invite a few others, too?"

Obito hesitated—but since Kakashi was already going to kill him, why not really deserve it? "Yeah, sure, the more the merrier!" Or something like that.

"Great," Asuma grinned enthusiastically, "I'm gonna ask Kurenai!" Candy in hand, he waved it for emphasis, "And maybe Ibiki, too. Hey, is Gai gonna be there?"

"I dunno," Obito replied with a shrug.

"I'll ask him if I see him," Asuma said decisively, "He's always bragging about being Kakashi's rival," he rolled his eyes, "Yeah right—Kakashi's supposed to be a genius and Gai's just Gai!"

Obito briefly thought of correcting the other boy—he knew for a fact that the two routinely trained together, but decided not to. He didn't really understand how Kakashi could consider the strange, green-clad boy a rival.

"I'm gonna go see who I can find," Asuma declared enthusiastically. He turned to go, but paused, grabbing a few boxes of cookies from the nearest shelf and adding them to Obito's basket, "Here, I like that kind."

"See you, Asuma!" The Uchiha called before returning to his shopping with a renewed gusto.

* * *

The first stop was at the weapon's shop, because Minato could not, in good mind, get the boy a bunch of junk he'd never need. While Obito may appreciate one of those new graphic novels or a video reader, Kakashi would hardly give such objects a second glance.

Minato knew he would be needing kunai and shuriken—Chuunin and Jounin, especially, were always losing the useful little tools on missions. He was running low on polish, too, the man knew.

"Since it's Kakashi's birthday today, we'll give him some of these as gifts," the man explained to his charge as he picked up packages of spare weapons.

"Kakashi-niisan?" Harry asked without comprehension.

Minato grinned and nodded, handing the small can of polish to the boy, "For Kakashi-niisan," he said amiably, "_Presents_, for Kakashi-kun's birthday."

Harry stared at him, forehead wrinkled as he hesitantly repeated, "Presents."

"Right!" The man exclaimed, "Presents!" Of course, whether the six-year-old really knew what he was saying remained questionable, but it was still encouraging that he was taking part in conversations directed at him.

The Jounin paid for his purchases and headed for their next stop, a novelty shop that sold paper supplies—small noise-makers, brightly colored disposable chopsticks, and wrapping paper, among other things. The Yellow Flash's objective was the latter, although he was considering picking up a set of noise makers, too. He particularly liked the kind that let out a high-toned whirring noise.

Smiling, Minato grabbed a tube of bright orange paper patterned with shuriken, kunai, and the stylized leaf that symbolized Konoha. He was about to grab a tube of white paper with bright red flames, but paused. Grinning, he turned to Harry instead.

"Do you want to pick one out?" He invited, crouching next to the child and gesturing to the shelves of paper, "To wrap Kakashi-kun's presents with?" He indicated the gifts in his bag.

Harry looked between the wrapping paper and the bag with blank bemusement for a few seconds before all of a sudden his eyes lit up in understanding. "It's Kakashi-niisan's birthday?!" He blurted in surprise, reverting back to English even though he knew the man wouldn't understand.

Minato smiled confusedly and rubbed the back of his head, "Ah... birthday," he repeated in his own language, looking uncertain, "It's for Kakashi's birthday presents..."

Even though they'd hardly made headway in communication, Harry remained convinced that his guess was correct. After all, everyone had birthdays, and everyone received gifts in brightly wrapped packages on those days... well, everyone besides him, at any rate.

Minato pointed to the shelves again, "Do you want to pick out some wrapping paper, Harii-kun?"

Harry thought maybe he understood now. He'd never been shopping before, but he'd seen people do it on the telly, and adults often included children in things like that. At least, they did on the telly.

Hesitantly, he began looking through the selections of paper, and with sensei's warm voice encouraging him on, he picked out one that he liked. It was a glossy, sparkling silver with pale, violet paw prints represented by small clusters of circles and ovals of varying size. Harry thought he'd love to get a present wrapped up in such fancy paper, and maybe Kakashi would, too.

Minato took the paper with a cheerful grin and ruffled Harry's white hair, "That looks like a great choice! Let's get a few more things before we head back—you should pick a present, too."

Their next stop was a place Minato knew Kakashi wouldn't be caught dead in—unless it was for a mission. Maybe. Harry, however, appeared to enjoy it. The six-year-old looked around at the colorful items on the shelves as if he'd never seen anything like them before.

It was amusing, but a little worrying at the same time. Even if the items were a little different, surely Harry had had toys and such back at his old home. The man frowned slightly as he recalled the fact that his apartment wasn't exactly crawling with toys—the boy had been playing mostly with old scrolls and whatever Kushina happened to bring by when she visited. The smile reasserted itself as he made the decision to get the six-year-old a little something, as well.

But first things first. Minato led the way over to the collection of children's books. He bypassed the small, colorful books meant for young children and only stopped to peruse the shelves of books aimed more towards adolescents.

He was pleased to find the next installment in an adventure series Kakashi had been reading, and pulled the title from the shelf. Kakashi would never admit to enjoying them, but as he often stayed up the entire night after he got them just to read, Minato was fairly certain that he did. Of course, they used the excuse that reading helped him familiarize himself with kanji more, which in turn built up his writing skills.

When he turned, he saw Harry looking at the shelves of colorfully illustrated children's books, obviously very interested in them. The man grinned.

"Why don't you pick one out?" He prompted. Harry looked up at him in surprise and Minato continued with a grin, "Go ahead," he gestured to the shelves, "One for Harii-kun."

Harry looked hesitantly between the man and the shelves. He couldn't _possibly_ mean for _him_ to pick one out. He must have been misunderstanding. The boy backed away from the shelves slightly and offered a quick, uncertain smile back at the man.

Minato frowned slightly, bemused, "Don't you want one?" He asked. Tucking the book he'd found for Kakashi under his arm, Minato took a colorful book from the shelf and showed it to the boy, flipping through the colorful illustrations, "What about this one? Do you like it?"

Harry stared at him with wide eyes, looking a little afraid.

"No?" Minato asked, putting the book back and perusing the shelves a little more carefully. He looked back at Harry thoughtfully, then at the shelves again. Harry edged closer, looking at him curiously.

"Aha!" The man exclaimed. He snatched a book from the shelves and held it out to the six-year-old.

"How about this?" He asked, showing it to the boy and grinning widely, "_An Illustrated History of Konoha_. Cool, huh?" He turned the book on edge to see the complete picture of the Nidaime standing atop an under-construction Hokage Monument with his famous sword raised and flashing with energy. Why didn't _he_ have a book like this?

Harry looked at the pictures with interest—although it was arguable whether he or Minato was more interested—and curiously looked up at the man. Grinning, Minato pushed it at him, "For you," he declared.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise, but he took the book obediently, looking down at the cover with a slightly bewildered smile. Was sensei really giving this to _him_?

Minato looked around the shop, then down at Harry again, "Now we need something for Kakashi," he explained, "From Harii-kun. Can you pick something out for Kakashi-kun?"

Harry stared at him and the man smiled at him encouragingly, waving to the room, "Something for Kakashi-niisan."

"Kakashi-niisan," Harry repeated uncertainly.

Minato nodded, "Let's find a present from Harii-kun," he encouraged cheerfully, "For Kakashi-kun."

Harry nodded slowly. He thought he understood. He looked around at all the shelves and displays, feeling slightly overwhelmed. What would Kakashi like? He'd never seen the older boy play. He was always throwing things around, or running, or writing stuff down in that complicated language.

He didn't see anything that looked like what Kakashi would like. He frowned—maybe that was the problem. Maybe Kakashi would be happier if he had some nice toys instead of those boring knife-things. Taking his self-appointed task very seriously, Harry looked through the shelves intently.

The six-year-old's eyes widened when he saw it. "Ryou-kun!" He exclaimed in surprise and joy. Minato watched with amusement as the boy ran to pull a small, well-stuffed dog from a shelf.

It didn't look much like Ryou-kun, the man thought. It was longer than it was tall with short, pudgy legs and a tiny tail. The ears on top of its head stood straight up instead of flopping over like Ryou-kun's. The only similarity was the short orange fur covering its small body.

Harry returned, holding the stuffed animal out toward the blonde. "For Kakashi-niisan?" He asked hopefully.

Minato chuckled, trying hard to keep from falling into hysterics. Kakashi would kill him for this.

Nodding, the man took the stuffed dog from the child's arms, "Alright. We'll get this for Kakashi-kun. Come on, then, we need to get home and drop these off before we can get you back to the Hokage and Kakashi-kun."

* * *

"Can you toss me some more tape, Obito?" Rin requested, standing up. She dangled upside down from the ceiling and dropped the empty tape dispenser she'd just finished off.

"Uh... Yeah," Obito agreed, pouring a few more chips into a large bowl before setting the bag down, wiping his hands on his pants, and grabbing another dispenser from the pile of decorations on the floor.

"Catch!" He warned before hurling the object up at his teammate.

Rin caught it easily and crouched on the ceiling again to finish taping down the end of one of her streamers.

Both teens looked up briefly as the door opened and Rin called out a cheerful, "Hello, sensei!" From the ceiling.

Minato chuckled at Harry's gasp of surprise and the little boy gaped at the girl while he greeted his students. "It's looking pretty good, Rin," he commented cheerfully before checking on Obito. His eyebrows rose in amusement, "Obito, how many people do you think are going to be here?"

The Uchiha shrugged, "Eight or nine at least, sensei," he said. Before the man could voice his disbelief he added, "I saw Asuma at the store, and he said he wanted to come. He's gonna ask Gai and Kurenai, too, and probably some other people."

Minato hesitated—that he hadn't counted on. Kakashi didn't particularly like large crowds of people. Of course, nine wasn't exactly a crowd, but the anti-social boy would probably appreciate it even less than he would already be appreciating the party. Then again, it would be good for him to spend a little time around the others of his generation—besides just Obito and Rin. Those children would become his closest comrades, when they were older.

Finally, the man smiled, "That sounds okay. I just hope Asuma-kun doesn't invite too many people..." He turned his attention back to Harry, pulling him out of the doorway so he could close the door. "Come on, Harii-kun, let's get your present wrapped, then I'll take you back, okay?"

* * *

Kakashi took his time on the way home, moving at a leisurely pace with Harry preceding him. The younger boy seemed unable to wait to get home, casting frequent looks back at him and admonishing, "Kakashi-niisan, let's go!" Kakashi chose to ignore the strange behavior. He was drained, feeling the effect of using so many high level jutsu at once.

He had briefly considered stopping for something to eat—he knew he wouldn't have the energy to make something when they got back—but he'd dismissed it, preferring to go straight back. Maybe he could get rid of Harry for a little while to train on his own.

The fifth floor of the apartment complex seemed a lot higher than usual, the Chuunin thought grumpily as they climbed the stairs. At last they stopped at their door and Kakashi swiftly released the lock before throwing it open.

He was met with a litany of enthusiastic cries, "Surprise!"

Kakashi stared dully into the apartment, unobtrusively returning a trio of kunai to his pouch and looking at the unfamiliar faces. He was in the right apartment, wasn't he? But sensei was there, and everyone seemed to have been expecting him, so he must be.

Streamers hung from the ceiling artistically in blues, reds, and orange. A large vertical sign hanging on the far wall of the room announced in large black characters that it was his thirteenth birthday. Several smaller tapestries hung around the room with the words "congratulations" and "happy birthday" printed down them.

The table on the left, between the door and the kitchenette, held several kinds of food—including yakisoba, sushi, and an oddly misshapen, purple cake. A small stack of brightly colored packages was stacked on one end of the short, two-person couch under the window. There were a couple of people he didn't know, and only recognized vaguely—Sarutobi Asuma was among them, along with, unfortunately, Gai giving him his patented "Good Guy" stance. And in the middle of it all were his three idiotic teammates, grinning like fools and obviously expecting some kind of response. Most likely of a positive nature.

Resignedly, the teen stepped inside—Harry followed him, closing the door, and looking around with wide eyes at the transformed apartment. Kakashi didn't pause to offer anything a second glance, instead moving further into the room, towards his door.

"I'm going to sleep," he announced dryly.

Kakashi wasn't surprised when his teacher accosted him by the arm before he could get there, grinning brightly, "Now, now, Kakashi, we went to all the trouble of making this party for you so you should stay and enjoy it for a while."

The boy looked up at him dully, "Sensei, I just got back from a test. I'm tired. You can have your party without me."

"You're not that tired," his teacher argued, "Don't be such a party-pooper."

Kakashi glowered up at the man, who had smoothly inserted himself between him and the door as they spoke.

"Kakashi-niisan, look!" Reluctantly, Kakashi tore his eyes away from his teacher to look at Harry. The boy was holding a lumpy package wrapped in shiny silver paper with purple polka dots.

"Harii-kun picked that one out himself," Minato added proudly.

Kakashi frowned, turning back to his sensei, "When—" he started, then cut himself off, frowning deeper as his eyes narrowed in suspicion, "How long have you been back, sensei?"

"Just since this morning," the Jounin said with a shrug, "I hurried the mission along a little so I could make it back today." He smirked smugly, "Of course, I had to get in early so I could make it to Rin and Obito before you did."

The boy cast his accusing glare over his back-stabbing teammates. Obito grinned at him cheerfully, obviously enjoying his torment, and Rin smiled shyly, a light blush of guilt on her cheeks.

Kakashi had to admit, it was a much better plan than his teacher had used last year—Kakashi was all for new ways of training, but a blindfolded walk through the park on his birthday was blatantly obvious. He hadn't even expected a party this year, since his teacher was supposed to be gone. He was loathe to waste what was left of his afternoon on something as pointless as a birthday party, but he reluctantly admitted to himself that he was out of options. Somehow, the blonde man had outmaneuvered him.

After a long silence, Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest and averted his gaze to looking at nothing in particular, "Fine."

Minato blinked in surprise, "Fine?" He repeated, "That's it?"

"A wise shinobi knows when to fight and when to give ground," the Chuunin quipped, "Fine."

Minato stared at him a moment longer in disbelief, then cracked a grin, "Then let's get this party started! Of course, you know Gai-kun, have you met Asuma-kun?"

Kakashi looked at the brunette unenthusiastically from under half-lidded eyes, "Not formally," he drawled, making no move to offer a hand, "Hokage-sama's son." It wasn't a question.

The brunette frowned slightly, "Yeah, well, just 'cause I'm the Hokage's son doesn't mean anything. I'm a shinobi, too, you know."

The look on Kakashi's face clearly expressed how much he cared.

In the interest of maintaining peace, Minato quickly moved on to introduce the others, "And this charming young lady is Kurenai-san..."

The dark haired girl blushed just a little as she greeted, "Pleased to meet you, Kakashi-san. Happy birthday."

Asuma's frown deepened as he looked at the girl.

Kakashi shrugged, "I'm only a day older than yesterday. What's the big deal?"

Minato laughed nervously, deciding he needed to work a little harder on his student's manners sometime in the near future, "And this is Ibiki-kun."

A stocky boy with several inches on Kakashi and a short, buzz haircut stepped forward, forcibly taking Kakashi's hand and shaking it, "Morino Ibiki," he said.

Kakashi scowled under his mask, making sure not to let his irritation show on his exposed face, "Hatake Kakashi," he stated, wrenching his hand away from the bigger boy's.

"I was expecting you to be bigger," Ibiki commented with a pointed look up and down the young genius.

Kakashi's scowl deepened. "I've never heard of you," he stated icily.

The party was quickly falling to pieces, Minato was aware, so he rapidly changed the subject, "Now that you know everyone, do you want to start with presents or food, Kakashi-kun?"

Kakashi waited a long moment before answering, just long enough to resign himself to the fact that his teacher was actually going to wait for him to voice an opinion no matter how long he waited. "Food," he grunted. The test had gone through lunch—if he couldn't rest then at least he could get something to eat.

The others obviously agreed that he'd made the right decision as the group of young teens practically attacked the serving table in a feeding frenzy, previous hostilities all but forgotten with the promise of good food. Grinning widely, Gai approached Kakashi, putting a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"What a wonderful occasion to celebrate youth and the day you were born!" He cheered poetically, "Good friends and food and a beautiful, clear day outside! You are a lucky man, my rival."

Rolling his eyes, Kakashi shrugged off the shoulder and shot his teacher a dark look. Really, no one would blame him if he killed the man after this. Even the Hokage would have to admit it was justified.

The blonde smiled right back with that damnably cheerful grin of his. His smile softened a little, then, and the warmth in his expression begged Kakashi to just sit it out.

The white-haired boy snorted and tore his irritated gaze from his teacher to turn towards the table, reluctantly allowing him this _one_ day. But he expected it to be made up for later. Sensei would need to teach him a _really_ useful jutsu to make up for this.

Jutsu firmly in mind, Kakashi resigned himself to a trying afternoon, and just making it through without murdering anyone. Except, maybe, Obito, who looked a little _too_ pleased.

* * *

The next month passed in a blur of the mundane. Kakashi was back on regular missions with his team, which usually lasted from several days to a week and were filled with long, dull periods of waiting and travelling interspersed with the occasional high pressure battle. The dogs enjoyed their new chew toy and Harry continued to improve in the language, despite being left alone more and more often—even his nightmares were becoming less frequent and less volatile when they did come.

That morning began as usual, with Kakashi rousing Harry after he'd dressed and joining his teacher for breakfast as the two waited for the six-year-old to come around. After eating, they washed their dishes and prepared to go out for the day. That's when the Jounin broached an entirely unusual topic.

"Oh, Kakashi," Minato started casually, "I almost forgot."

Kakashi frowned slightly behind his mask, giving his teacher his attention as he waited for him to continue.

"Let's see, what was it...?" The Jounin made a show of thinking.

Despite his growing impatience, Kakashi kept his expression blank.

"Oh, right, the Hokage wants to see you today," Minato supplied at last, grinning.

Kakashi's eyes widened minutely in surprise before returning to normal, "About the exams?"

"Hmm... probably," Minato agreed.

The teen's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "At what time, sensei?"

"You have plenty of time to get there," the man assured the boy with a wide grin, "Almost ten minutes!"

Kakashi shot the man a glare—that wasn't plenty of time! If he ran all the way there he could probably make it, but even that wasn't a sure thing. He'd been late last time, being late twice in a row would be insufferable.

"You've been practicing that jutsu, haven't you?" Minato asked innocently, the mischievous grin on his face belying his tone.

Kakashi nodded, knowing instinctively that his teacher was talking about the teleportation technique. He had been practicing, but wasn't confident that such a long jump would leave him in one piece at the end. He frowned thoughtfully—he could probably make it in two.

"I'm going, then," the teen said, already beginning the necessary seals.

"Wait!" Minato interrupted quickly, managing to gain his student's attention again before he had disappeared. Kakashi froze on the last seal, looking at the man questioningly.

"Harri-kun and I will go ahead to the training grounds," Minato said, "You can meet us there later."

The white haired teen nodded and disappeared in a swirl of wind and smoke.

Harry coughed, waving a hand in front of his face in distaste, then stared at the place where his brother had been. He looked at the door, but it hadn't been disturbed, then looked at Minato with wide eyes.

"How did he do that?" He asked—a phrase he'd been using quite liberally ever since he learned it, almost a week and a half ago.

Minato grinned and ruffled the boy's hair as he walked towards the door, leading the way from the apartment, "You'll find we can do lots of amazing things with chakra," he told the boy casually.

Still amazed, Harry followed after him quickly, catching onto at least a little of what he'd said. "Fly?"

Minato blinked, a bemused expression crossing his face briefly, then he chuckled, "Maa... I don't know about that," he said, "Not actual flying, at least. But we can jump pretty far, so it's almost like flying, ne?"

Harry frowned, eyebrows drawing together as he tried to puzzle out the man's answer. He heaved a sigh as he realized they couldn't fly—that was disappointing—and thought painstakingly back on the conversation he had witnessed. He still had a long way to go before he would be proficient in the language, but two months had given him considerable improvement in the words he recognized, and he'd been taught enough phrases that he was usually able to ask about things that confused him. Whether or not he understood the answers, of course, was another matter entirely.

"Kakashi-niisan is at Hokage's Tower?" He asked curiously, recalling the brief explanations he'd been given about such things as the Hokage and village administration—he hadn't understood much, but he was pretty sure it was where Kakashi and sensei and Kushina went to work.

"That's right," Minato confirmed with a grin—he couldn't help but be a little amazed at how far Harry had come in only two months. The silent, brooding boy was almost a completely different person from the current Harry, who was extremely curious and seemed to have questions about everything. It was a good change, the man thought. "He'll learn the results of his exam and what comes next."

"Kakashi-niisan's exam?" Harry questioned curiously.

"His Jounin Exam," Minato explained, "He was just starting it when you came here, and it's almost over now. He's testing to see if he'll be promoted from Chuunin to Jounin."

"Jounin..." the boy repeated thoughtfully. His eyes lit up, "Sensei is Jounin!"

Minato grinned, "That's right. You're catching on, Harii-kun."

Harry grinned in response, but the smile was quick to fade, a confused frown settling over his lips. "Sensei... what is Jounin?"

"Ah... well, I'm a Jounin, obviously," Minato replied, scratching his head awkwardly as he tried to think of a proper explanation, "It's the second highest ranking for shinobi," he added, "Right below Hokage, you remember?"

Harry stared at him blankly.

Minato grinned ruefully and rubbed the back of his head a little more, as though that would make his thoughts come easier. "Jounin are the elite shinobi with a lot of experience. Basically... it means we're qualified to lead large teams and plan missions. We're also qualified to train other shinobi, Genin and Chuunin, and take more dangerous missions."

The boy frowned thoughtfully as he struggled to take in the explanation. At length he gave up, looking up again, "But... What _is_ Jounin?"

"Well... I spend a lot of time training Obito, Rin, and Kakashi," Minato supplied uncertainly, "And I lead them on a lot of missions. Sometimes I go on higher ranking missions by myself or with other groups, but usually I'm teamed with the kids."

"What missions?" Harry pressed—he only had a vague understanding of the familiar word. Missions were what Kakashi and sensei disappeared to do so often, but he still wasn't sure exactly what that entailed.

Minato frowned slightly, "Well... right now we're at war with Rock, so most of our missions have to do with that." He scratched his head at Harry's look of confusion, "That is... it's usually things like fighting or sabotage. Sometimes there's infiltration, where we retrieve scrolls and... things."

The boy continued to stare at him blankly.

A wide grin crossed the man's face, "But it's not really important, Harii-kun," he assured the boy, "You'll understand eventually. As shinobi, we're the ones who protect the village!"

_Protect_. Harry understood _that_ word, even if he was still confused as to what his new friends actually did. Whatever it was, Harry was pretty sure it had nothing to do with drills. He was also pretty sure that his aunt and uncle would not have approved. The more he got to know these people, the more he was realizing that they were exactly opposite of the mundane ideals his aunt and uncle adhered to. It took a lot of getting used to, but he was starting to like it here.

* * *

Kakashi checked his pack for the third time, crossing the items off on a mental checklist. He cast a dubious look at his teacher, "Are you sure three extra sets will be enough?"

The blonde man shrugged, amusing himself by throwing a kunai up and catching it again, "Bring another if you want," he said, "It's your mission, Kakashi."

"I think three will be enough," Kakashi muttered—he'd never found himself needing more than that. "Although this is my first A-rank mission," he added with a slight frown, "Maybe four would be better..." He looked at his pack critically, "But I won't be able to reach the fourth set easily..." After a moment's thought, he shrugged and put his fourth set into the bag, just in case.

Something that sounded suspiciously like laughter came from behind him and he turned, narrowing eyes in annoyance at his teacher.

"I probably won't need them," he commented, "But if we run into more resistance than expected it might be useful to have a few more weapons. Besides, they don't weigh that much."

"Whatever you say, Kashi-kun," Minato agreed with some amusement.

Kakashi buckled his bag and set it aside, ignoring the man's comment. Standing, the boy shouldered his small bag—they were only taking the bare essentials on this mission. It was getting late.

"I'm leaving now," the thirteen-year-old announced, heading towards the door.

"Kakashi," Minato started. The boy paused at the unusually serious tone of his teacher's voice and looked back. "Be careful out there."

Teacher and student stared at each other for a long moment, then Kakashi nodded, turning to leave again.

Minato frowned slightly, "I'm serious," he said, "Your teammate is more experienced, don't be afraid to rely on him if you have to. This test isn't worth all your lives."

"I know that, sensei," the boy said coolly before slipping through the door.

Minato sighed heavily, hoping his student was really ready for this. Part of him was confident that the boy was an excellent shinobi, he could handle this. But the part of him that recognized the fact that Kakashi had just turned thirteen couldn't help but be concerned—somewhere, underneath it all, the boy was still just a child.

* * *

Only three of them had been selected for this final portion of the test. Unlike the staged sparring and demonstrations they'd done so far, this was real. The three of them were to be paired with experienced Jounin who would be able to critique their performance first-hand and offer their assistance if the mission was jeopardized.

It was a real A-Rank mission. It's completion was vital to the survival of the village. A group of Rock shinobi had been seen entering the Kouen Mountains—the range that bisected the Earth and Fire Nations in the north. Intelligence sources believed they were after the demon who was said to live there, and planned to turn it against the Leaf. Their mission was to find the shinobi and stop them at all cost.

The demon was an object of legend, no one had seen it in a hundred years. Even so, the mountain range was forbidden, an impassable barrier that the two mighty countries suffered to work around rather than attempt to tame. Teams of the strongest warriors past had entered the mountains only to never return. It had been dozens of years ago, but the memory was enough to make military leaders think twice about sending their men through.

Legends and rumors tended to exaggerate, though, and there were plenty of records of shinobi who had gone into the mountains and returned just fine—it was possible, of course, that small cells of ninjas could pass unnoticed by the demon whereas large battalions of soldiers could not. Now they would tempt fate again in order to stop their enemy and protect their village.

The door slid open.

"Good, you're all here," the Hokage acknowledged, stepping into the room. The various shinobi bowed and saluted their leader. "Some of you don't yet know the pairs, so I'll announce them now."

"Takai, your partner will be Sayuri-san," the Hokage announced. A woman with dark, red-tinted hair nodded to the young man with a smile. The eighteen-year-old smiled uncertainly in return.

"Kurochi, your partner will be Hishigo-san," the Hokage continued. A tall man with short brown hair met eyes with the Aburame briefly, face blank. Kurochi inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement, but that was the extent of their greetings.

"Kakashi, your partner will be Masaru-san," the Hokage finished. The older man nodded to the boy, black, gray-speckled hair neatly framing his face, long but short enough not to obscure his vision. Although his face was as blank as Hishigo's, the man's gray eyes looked Kakashi over with interest. Kakashi nodded in return, staring at a long scar that ran down the side of the man's face just a little longer than was polite. Somehow, he seemed familiar, though he couldn't place the name.

"You've all received your mission briefings," the Hokage said, "Are there any questions?"

No one had any.

"Good. You'll form three separate teams working in tandem," the Hokage said, "Keep that in mind. You will depart in half an hour, use the remaining time to get to know your partners."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," some of the shinobi complied—others simply nodding in agreement.

"If you think of any questions," the Hokage said, "I will keep myself available to you in my office."

The man left and the six shinobi reluctantly drifted closer together. Sayuri approached Takai with a smile on her red lips and mischief in her cool black eyes.

"So, you're Takai," she started thoughtfully, looking the young man up and down and smirking, "You're kind of cute."

Takai fought a blush self-consciously, "Eto, thank you... can we just talk about the mission?"

The smile vanished from the woman's face, replaced by a cold expression and a frosty glare, "Just don't give me too much trouble, hot-shot."

If anything, Takai's blush brightened.

Kurochi and Hishigo approached each other slowly and began conversing in low voices, expressions equally guarded.

Kakashi tore his eyes away from the others to find the final member of the group, his own partner. Masaru towered over the boy, straight backed and wide shouldered with the rugged look of a survivor. His gray eyes were critical at first, then they softened slightly and he smiled.

"So," he started, tone dry, "You're the kid they stuck me with? I trust you're stronger than you look."

Kakashi had heard similar comments with more condescension many times in his life, but for some reason, this time it struck a nerve. He frowned behind his mask and replied coolly, "Of course."

Masaru chuckled, "You wouldn't have passed the last two parts of the test if you weren't." He ruffled the boy's hair with a large hand, much to Kakashi's irritation, "Don't worry, kid, I trust you."

"I'm not a kid," Kakashi stated coldly, "I'm a shinobi."

Something crossed over the man's expression briefly—a hint of melancholy, perhaps—but was gone quickly, covered by another smile masterfully applied. "That's right. So, tell me about yourself, Kakashi."


	9. Closing Darkness

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: Kishimoto did not want to accept my frozen walleye in exchange for the copyrights on Naruto, and Rowling wouldn't even consider accepting my box of Milk Duds in exchange for Harry Potter, so I still own neither.

Warning: There's quite a bit of violence and blood in this chapter, although I don't think there's anything too graphic... Also there's a few swear words. It's rated teen, but I just thought I'd warn you in case you're a bit squimish.

This chapter's coming out a little late... because I was distracted by a sudden burst of inspiration in another story, which I chose to write instead of this. I'm going to try to update by Thursday this week, because Friday and Saturday will be very busy for me... if it doesn't get up by Thursday, you'll probably have to wait for Sunday.

Note: The jutsu Kakashi uses in this chapter is not canon. It just makes sense to me since there are similar techniques for most of the other chakra natures. And Sasuke used something like it, so it only makes sense Kakashi would have learned something like it, too.

On another note, red light helps preserve your night vision. That's why pilots flying at night usually use a flashlight that's red instead of the usual white. Not as good as night-vision goggles or something, but also way less expensive. And let's face it, giving shinobi expensive equipment on dangerous missions is like asking them to drop it off a twenty story building just to see how it breaks at the bottom. In other words, it would be a huge waste of money.

Hope you like the long-awaited kick-ass Kakashi!

Chapter 9 – Closing Darkness

The couple sat in shock. Lily's arms tightened a little more around her tiny son as though the one threatening him was in the very same room.

"Professor... are you sure?" James asked worriedly.

"My sources were quite clear on the matter," the aged Headmaster confirmed, looking as tired as his many years warranted, "Voldemort will undoubtedly target the child."

"It could have been a mistake," James offered weakly.

"I do not think so," Dumbledore replied, "I have the utmost confidence in my source and am certain his information is genuine. We must take more aggressive measures to protect him."

"Yes, of course," Lily was quick to agree, although she sounded faintly overwhelmed, "What should we do?"

"I would like to create a Fidelius Charm for the three of you," the Headmaster stated.

James frowned, "Isn't that kind of going overboard?" He wondered, "That's a really complex spell."

"It wouldn't do to underestimate Voldemort's powers," the old man warned gravely, "No, I believe the Fidelius Charm will be just powerful enough. Of course, you will need to choose a secret keeper; I will begin preparations immediately."

James looked down at the dark haired baby in his wife's arms. He wasn't sure whether all of this was really necessary—Harry couldn't be the baby from the prophecy, could he? But if Dumbledore's source was to be believed, Voldemort was convinced that he was. In the end, it just wasn't worth the risk.

He sighed and nodded, "We'll think of someone, professor."

* * *

Masaru spread a map out on a relatively flat stone, Kakashi by his side. "Our agents saw them enter around here," he said, pointing to a location on the map, "They're three days ahead of us, so we'll have to search quickly and efficiently. Hishigo's team will be covering this part over here," he pointed along one arc of the mountain range, "Sayuri's team will be starting here. They'll be working their way in, towards us, it's our responsibility to scour this middle section here."

Kakashi nodded in understanding, looking from the map up to the actual mountains themselves, green in the morning sun. He looked back down at the map, "It would probably be most efficient to work from one side to the other," he mused, "I can summon my pack to search for human scents."

A small smirk appeared on the man's lips, "Ah, yes, the famous Hatake dogs," he muttered, "We should get moving right away."

Kakashi nodded and the man picked up the map, rolling it back up as the boy went through the process of summoning his dogs—all five of them. They appeared around him in bursts of smoke.

The dogs swarmed around their master and Kakashi obliged their unspoken desire by running his hands over them as he explained what they were looking for. The pack made their understanding known and he sent them ahead. They scattered, sprinting towards the mountains, and it was only as they were running that Kakashi noticed a sixth among them—tiny legs working overtime to keep up with his older companions.

In one deft motion, the boy snatched the puppy up, a disapproving scowl in his eyes, "Pakkun," he growled under his breath, "What are you doing here?"

The puppy whined and retorted, "You haven't been summoning me lately. Why's it always the big dogs? I'm way cuter than them."

Kakashi shot an anxious look at the Jounin, who was watching with a raised eyebrow. He glowered at the dog, "Look, I don't have time for this right now. I'll train you some more later, but this is serious, you'd get torn apart out there."

The dog snorted, twisting around until his tiny mouth clamped onto the Chuunin's hand. Kakashi winced slightly as the dog's sharp teeth broke skin. "Fine," Pakkun muttered around his hand, jaw still clamped, "But I'll hold you to that, Kakashi."

With a second puff of smoke the small pug disappeared and left Kakashi rubbing the new welts on his hand for a second. He turned towards Masaru, face impassive despite the light blush playing underneath his mask.

"Let's go," he said.

As one, both shinobi sprinted after the dogs.

* * *

Rin entered their usual training field to a strange sight. Harry was wearing the bright red T-shirt that Minato was so fond of—the Jounin was wearing an equally bright yellow shirt—and her teacher was directing the six-year-old's arm as he held a kunai with the obvious intent of throwing it at one of the logs they used as targets. Minato directed the boy's arm through the throwing movement twice more before letting go of him with directions for him to try it.

Frowning pointedly at the stump, Harry brought back his arm like he'd been shown and let the kunai fly—it went right by the stump, landing in the ground somewhere nearby. The boy's shoulders slumped dejectedly.

Minato was grinning, "No, no, it was quite good for your first try, Harii-kun!" He assured the boy cheerfully, "You just need to practice!" He held a second kunai out to the boy.

Slightly mollified by the man's tone, Harry carefully accepted the weapon and got ready to throw it again.

The second throw was just as bad as the first and Harry turned to the man with a pout, "No good," he complained.

"Harii-kun," Minato said, a mixture of amusement and exasperation in his voice, "You can't get it in just a few tries. They teach this stuff to kids at the Academy for _years_! Just keep practicing, you'll get it eventually."

The boy didn't look convinced, although whether that was because he hadn't understood half of what her teacher had said, or he really thought he couldn't get it, Rin didn't know. The girl decided to make her presence known as Minato pulled out another kunai.

"Is Harii-kun going to become a shinobi now, too?" She asked in amusement—although, really, she couldn't imagine a brother of Kakashi's becoming anything less.

The man stood, shrugging, "I dunno," he said, "But he gets kind of bored just watching us, and since we have an odd number today, it's a good time for him to start learning." He smiled down at Harry, attempting to pull the quiet boy back into the conversation, "Right, Harii-kun?"

The boy stared at him a moment before tentatively smiling, "Aa, sensei."

Rin just about squealed, "He's so cute!"

Chuckling, Minato tossed the boy another kunai, a look of horror crossing his face a split-second later as he realized what he'd done. Luckily, the Yellow Flash of Konoha has extremely quick reflexes, and he managed to reach out and catch it again even as his student let out a horrified cry of, "Sensei!" And before Harry even realized he was in danger.

His quick reflexes, however, couldn't do anything to abate Rin's fury. "Sensei!" She shouted, even as Harry was beginning to absorb the fact that he'd just almost been hit by a kunai again, "How could you do that?! Harii-kun's just a little boy, how could you just _throw_ a _kunai_ at him?!"

The man cringed, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly as he held the kunai casually in his other hand, wondering if he would need it, "Now, now, Rin-chan, it was an accident..."

"How could you _accidentally_ throw a kunai at a little kid?!" The girl demanded angrily.

"Well..." Minato wasn't quite sure what to say, glancing down at Harry. The six-year-old didn't seem too upset over the near miss. "I guess I kind of lost track for a moment," he admitted awkwardly, "He looks a lot like Kakashi-kun."

Rin blinked, then frowned, "But, even so," she argued, "He's still only six, sensei."

Minato chuckled, "When Kakashi was his age, he was already passing the Chuunin exams."

The girl gaped at him, "Kakashi-kun was a Chuunin when he was six?!"

Minato rubbed the back of his head, realizing he'd inadvertently said the wrong thing again.

"How old was he when he graduated?" The girl wondered, aghast, "Who would make a little kid like that a shinobi?"

Minato decided it was best not to remind her that he had been Kakashi's teacher. "Anyway," he said, "As I understand it, his parents taught him a lot even before he entered the Academy, but it was still pretty surprising." He shrugged, this time carefully handing the blade to the six-year-old. He smiled at the boy, "If you practice too much, people might start expecting you to be the next genius."

The boy stared at him blankly, then turned back to the target. Minato laughed.

Rin still looked a bit upset, but she grudgingly released her irritation as Harry hadn't been hurt and seemed quite unfazed by the whole ordeal. After a few minutes, she turned back to her teacher, calm again. "So what are we doing today, sensei?"

"Oh, I thought we'd try something a little different," Minato said, watching as Harry went to collect the half dozen kunai he'd thrown, being careful not to touch the blades. "You and Obito still haven't learned how to use senbon yet, right?"

"I've read a little about it," Rin said with a thoughtful frown, "But I've never really tried it."

From a long skinny pocket next to his kunai pouch, Minato withdrew one of the long needles, flipping it carelessly through his fingers with a smirk, "Well, today we'll start you two on that. It would be good for both of you to at least know the basics, and, who knows? One of you might be good at it."

Rin blushed a little—senbon were very precise weapons, and required an extensive knowledge of the human body to be of any real use. It was also obvious by the man's expression that he was talking about her and not her perpetually late, and sometimes clumsy, teammate.

"So we're all going to be practicing throwing things," she commented, looking at Harry, who was handing all of the kunai except one back over to their teacher. She smiled, narrowing her eyes in suspicion, "You had this planned all along."

Minato shrugged guiltlessly, "Naturally."

At that moment Obito chose to finally show up and Minato got the pair of Chuunin started on their lesson for the day, watching them to make sure they were doing a decent job on the dummies he'd set up before returning to let Harry practice some more.

* * *

The first day turned up nothing, but on the second Kakashi caught sight of a flash being sent up north of their position—that would be the Sayuri-Takai team. The pair immediately altered their course to head back in that direction, Kakashi calling his dogs back, as well. Ryou-kun stayed by his side just in case he was needed.

It turned out that the pair had found a cave. At first glance, there was nothing suspicious about the dank opening, but a closer look revealed signs that humans had recently been there. Ryou-kun had a good sniff around while they were waiting for the Hishigo-Kurochi team, and confirmed that it was the smell of Rock-nin with a growl.

The rear of the cave bore an entrance to a small tunnel, which Ryou-kun confirmed was the path the enemy shinobi had taken. Upon arrival of the remaining members of the group, all six of them fixed small, red lights over their ears and headed inside the mountains.

* * *

Obito squinted, as though that might somehow make the distance between his senbon stuck in the dummy and the small, pale circular target decrease. It didn't and he pulled it out with a frustrated groan, stomping back to where Rin and his teacher were waiting.

"This is impossible!" The boy despaired, casting an irritated look at his teacher, "How am I supposed to hit such a little target when I can't even _see_ it from back here?"

The man smiled, much to Obito's exasperation. "It isn't supposed to be obvious," he pointed out, "Do real people wear little red signs pointing out all of their weak spots?"

Obito frowned thoughtfully.

Minato chuckled, ruffling his hair, "Of course they don't," he said, "So to have any success with the senbon, you have to learn to recognize these points automatically and hit them precisely."

The boy glowered, "But it's impossible!" He reiterated, as though believing his teacher hadn't heard him the first time.

"I don't know," Minato mused, "Rin seems to be progressing alright."

An unusual look crossed Obito's face, as though he weren't sure whether to be bitter over the fact that he was being outdone or happy for the good work of his crush. At last he huffed in annoyance, "Well, _I'm_ no good at it, at least."

The man chuckled again, "Well, practice on the other vital areas as well, Obito-kun," he advised, "At the very least, learn to recognize where other people will be aiming at _you_ if they're using senbon." He smiled, "And maybe you'll surprise yourself, it isn't _impossible_, after all."

The sound of something heavy hitting wood thumped through the clearing, and all three heads turned toward it. Harry stood at his throwing spot, staring at the kunai sticking out of his target with wide, surprised eyes and a small, disbelieving smile. Minato grinned.

"Good work, Harii-kun!" He called out enthusiastically.

The boy looked at him, his smile widening to a grin—the first Minato could remember seeing. The Jounin offered him two enthusiastic thumbs up and repeated his sentiments about the boy's work.

Blushing a little, Harry mumbled, "Arigato," back and hastily returned his eyes to his target, just staring at the kunai for several more seconds before preparing to throw again.

Minato turned back to Obito, a smug smile on his face, "See? If you put in enough effort you can do it!"

Obito glowered back, looking entirely unconvinced, "I can already throw a kunai, sensei," he said disparagingly.

Minato chuckled and ruffled his hair again, "Keep it up, Obito, you'll make some progress, yet."

With a long-suffering sigh, the teen turned back to his dummy and the three students returned to work.

* * *

"Can you move it?" Masaru asked, voice weaker than usual.

Kakashi experimentally tilted his foot up and down, cringing a little as he did so. It was stiff and painful, but not impossible. He nodded, "I'm fine."

"Good," the man rasped.

Kakashi frowned slightly, critical eyes roving over his teammate. Masaru's shirt was soaked in blood, especially his arms, which had been wrapped around his abdomen when they made their escape. They had since bandaged the wound as well as they could, but the blood had yet to stop and the man was worryingly pale, even taking into account the dim, red light he was illuminated under.

The thirteen-year-old thought back on the series of events that had brought them to this miserable outshoot of a cave.

They hadn't gone far into the tunnels before they had been forced to split up again, following the many branches of the main track. There had been twists and turns and dozens of offshoots, but eventually they had found a group of Rock-nin.

There hadn't seemed to be many, just the standard group of four, but as soon as they confronted them, the small group had called for backup and four had become sixteen. Even if they could have handled the original group of four, the sixteen enemy nin were quick enough to overwhelm them.

Sometime in the fight, Masaru had had a kunai shoved into his stomach, almost up to the hilt, and torn right back out again. Kakashi's leg had been caught mid-kick and given a sharp twist—luckily, it hadn't been broken, but the sprain he'd been left with was tender and had slowed up their retreat long enough for another kunai to hit his arm. The cut wasn't deep, and his bandaging had quelled the blood flow fairly well.

Masaru hadn't been so lucky. Neither of them had any outstanding medical training; they both knew the basics well enough, but the older Jounin was getting weaker by the minute. They had been lucky to lose most of their pursuers in the maze of tunnels, and Kakashi had been able to finish off one persistent shinobi that was tailing them. On the down side, now they were stuck in a tunnel with no way to know which way was out and no way to contact for backup or medical help.

"I can send my dogs to search for the way out," Kakashi suggested at last.

"Save your chakra," the man replied gruffly, "You're going to need it to complete the mission."

Kakashi's face remained impassive. Masaru was speaking sensibly, of course, there was no way they'd be able to make it out of here and back to friendly territory in time to help the man. Still, Kakashi had never had to sit back and watch a comrade die before. It was distinctly unsettling.

"Do any of the others know medical jutsu?" Kakashi asked—facing odds like this they would need backup, anyway. They had killed five or six of them, but that still left ten Rock-nin against one, Masaru wouldn't be much help.

The man frowned thoughtfully, "I think I heard that other kid knew some," he mused.

Kakashi quickly thought back over the other shinobi, "Takai-san?" He asked.

"That's the one," Masaru confirmed.

"He was teamed with Sayuri-san," Kakashi said, "If they're still together, they should be easy to find."

Masaru raised an eyebrow in question.

Kakashi smirked slightly under his mask, "She wears enough perfume to leave a trail for miles," he explained dryly.

The man chuckled, but soon gave way to wheezing as he clutched his injured abdomen tighter. Frowning, Kakashi hobbled to his side, moving his arms to get a look at the bandages—they were already dark with blood.

The boy cursed under his breath and reached to pull another roll from the man's open pack. Without a word, he began adding yet another layer.

Both shinobi were silent until Kakashi had finished, tying the bandage off tightly and sitting back.

"You shouldn't waste supplies," Masaru said dryly, "I'm not going to last much longer."

"If we can get in touch with Takai-san he might be able to do something about it," Kakashi retorted, "The probability of success is higher the more people we have."

Masaru let out another laugh that was almost a cough—blood dribbled down his chin. Kakashi ignored it, and Masaru did, too.

"Kakashi," the Jounin said abruptly, "Kakashi, this mission is very important."

"I know that," Kakashi replied.

"It's more important than me," Masaru insisted, "It's more important than all of us... If Rock's plot succeeds... if they manage to turn that beast against Konoha, the results would be disastrous."

Kakashi frowned slightly, wondering why the man was lecturing him like this.

"You made it this far, so you're obviously skilled," Masaru continued, "You don't have time to worry about your comrades, forget about me and focus on the mission."

"I can do both," Kakashi argued, frown deepening slightly.

"_Don't_ bother with me," the man said again, more insistently, "Kid, I've been living on borrowed time for the last seven years, ever since _my_ first Jounin mission. I'm not going to survive this one, even if you do manage to find Sayuri and the kid, they won't be able to do anything except drag out what's left of my life for a few more hours, maybe. No field medicine can save me, you know it as much as me."

Kakashi didn't reply, remaining stoically impassive.

There was another long silence, broke only by the wheezing breaths of the older man.

"Look, Kakashi," Masaru started again, "There's a reason why I volunteered for this mission. Get yourself home alive, even if you can't stop them. At least the village will have warning, and I'll be able to rest in peace."

Kakashi looked at him, discontent in his half-lidded eyes.

Masaru met his eyes, blue-gray eyes revealing a pain that went deeper than the hole in his stomach. "Kakashi," he said somberly, "I owe my life to your father."

Whatever Kakashi expected him to say, that wasn't it. The boy's eyes widened uncharacteristically as his mind put together the clues that now seemed to fall into place. He stared at the older Jounin—was it really possible?

* * *

"You three did very well today," Minato said with satisfaction as the children started to gather their equipment for the last time—Harry had some trouble pulling his kunai from the target.

"When are we going to go on a mission again?" Obito demanded tiredly.

His teacher smiled, "We'll go as soon as Kakashi gets back," he said, "His mission should only last another day or two."

"Why does he get to go on a mission without us, and we're stuck doing stupid training?" Obito wanted to know.

"I seem to remember Kakashi asking similar questions," Minato replied with a smile, "While you two were taking the Chuunin exams."

Obito snorted.

His teacher was obviously unsympathetic, "Tell you what, for a treat, we'll all go out for ramen tomorrow."

"Your treat?" The boy asked suspiciously.

"Well..." Minato started, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sensei!" Obito snapped.

Laughing, the man raised his hands placatingly, "Alright, alright, my treat."

The boy looked at him suspiciously for a moment longer, then reluctantly said, "I guess it's better than nothing."

The man laughed and turned to Harry as he walked up, finally having wrenched the kunai from the trunk. He ruffled the boy's hair, "We're having ramen tomorrow," he said cheerfully, "What do you think of that?"

The boy blinked up at him, staring at him for a moment and apparently digesting his words. "With Kakashi-niisan?" He asked.

"Ah... No, probably not," the man replied, "Kakashi-kun is still away on his mission."

"Where?" The boy asked.

Minato chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair again, "He'll be back soon enough, Harii-kun."

Harry frowned at the evasive answer, "Where?" He repeated insistently.

"Around," Minato replied casually, "I'm not privy to the details... maybe he'll tell you about it when he gets back, ne?"

* * *

Kakashi's eyes narrowed, "I remember where you look familiar from."

Masaru raised his eyebrows, "Oh?"

Kakashi frowned, "I saw you stop in front of the house all the time. You just stood there for a few minutes and then walked away."

The man stared at him for a moment, then smiled sheepishly, "I wanted to extend my condolences," he admitted, "But I never really worked up the courage."

Kakashi looked at the man dully, "You were afraid of a six-year-old?"

The man's smile faded and he looked away. At length, he murmured a quiet reply, "I was afraid of telling a six-year-old it was my fault his father was dead."

Kakashi's head shot up, eyes flashing. He frowned and spoke coldly, "O-tousan killed himself."

"I was on that mission," Masaru continued, "The one that ruined his career... Daiki and I were critically injured and Sakumo-senpai decided to get us medical assistance instead of completing the mission. We should have died then..."

Kakashi wasn't looking at him and Masaru couldn't tell what he was thinking—his face was expressionless, even behind the mask. Kakashi wasn't sure what to say. He'd known the bare facts of that mission, but he'd never thought much about the people his father had saved. It had always paled in comparison to his failure.

Finally, the boy said, "You didn't come to his funeral."

"... I was on a mission," Masaru admitted, "I was shocked to come home and find out what happened. I'd always thought he'd get over it and move on—he was a great shinobi."

Another silence followed, then Kakashi shifted, looking away, "It doesn't matter." He said at last, "It was his choice. He betrayed everyone in the village, it's not something you can excuse with sentimental stories."

Masaru nodded slightly, a sad smile on his lips, but he said nothing.

The silence stretched on longer this time, both shinobi lost in their own thoughts. The telltale patter of footsteps was the first thing to break it.

Kakashi looked across at Masaru and got to his feet, favoring his sprained ankle. He silently slipped out a pair of kunai, prepared for whatever the future would bring. The footsteps were quickly growing louder.

Kakashi nearly skewered Sayuri as she raced around the corner, skidding to a halt at the sight of the two males.

Masaru frowned at her, "Where's the kid?"

"Dead," the woman said coldly, "Masaru-senpai, this place is crawling with Rock-nin."

Kakashi frowned, "Were you followed?"

She scowled at him, dark eyes narrowed and burning, "No, I wasn't followed, runt," she growled, "What kind of a Jounin do you take me for?"

Kakashi bit back a cruel retort—the kind who got her subordinates killed.

"Masaru-senpai," Sayuri started sharply, turning towards the older man. She paused as she finally noticed the situation she had walked in on. A bit of the anger left her expression and she frowned, looking between the two males, "What happened?"

The other Jounin smiled grimly, "Like you said, Sayuri, there were more Rock-nin than we expected."

Sayuri looked at Kakashi, eyes narrowed, "And you? Are you hurt?"

"Not badly," Kakashi said.

"Good," the woman plopped down suddenly beside the older man and removed her arm from her side, "Then you can take care of this."

A kunai was imbedded in her side, all the way up to the hilt, angled upward and sticking out just over her left hip. Kakashi frowned, already moving to Masaru's open pack for more medical supplies, "I can bandage it," he said, "But I don't know any medical jutsu."

She glared up at him, eyes burning, "Then _think_ of some, hot-shot!" She hissed, leaning forward aggressively, "I'm not going to die in a place like this!"

Kakashi's frown deepened minutely.

"Sayuri," Masaru said sharply, frowning in disapproval, "He can only do so much. Take the blade out, Kakashi, and bandage it up. That will have to be enough for now."

Kakashi turned his frown on the older man, "If we leave it in, it won't bleed as much."

"If we leave it in," Masaru repeated, "It will cut up her insides a little more every time she moves." He turned his disapproving gaze on the woman, "You should have pulled it out right away, Sayuri, who knows what kind of damage you've caused yourself."

"I would have," the woman said with a sardonic smile, holding up one of her hands. It twitched sporadically, "I can't grip a thing, as you can see."

"Must have had nerve damage," the older Jounin muttered.

Kakashi stonily knelt next to the woman to patch her up as well as he could. He almost sighed, but he was beyond that now. This whole mission was hopeless. Already half of their forces were down for the count. Takai was dead, Masaru had one foot in the grave, and Sayuri was physically incapable, if not as close to dying as Masaru. He could only hope the other two were better off than them.

Sayuri winced and glared at the teen as he tied off her bandages, "Watch it, kiddo," she growled, "Treat a lady gentle-like, got it?"

Kakashi ignored her and finished his job. He stood, testing his weight on his ankle. It wasn't as painful now as it had been before.

"I'm going to look for Hishigo-san and Kurochi-san," he said decisively.

"Don't bother," Sayuri groaned, easing back against the tunnel wall, "The kid and me ran across their bodies on the way here. Damn bugs had almost eaten the Aburame's bones clean already."

Disbelief settled around the thirteen-year-old. How could things go this wrong? He had been sent on this mission with three highly skilled elite shinobi, and two up-and-coming young men in their prime. How could they be here with everyone dead or dying around him? What was he supposed to do now?

Kakashi forced down the slow swell of panic rising in him and forced himself to think things through logically, "What happened to Hishigo-san's body?" He asked at last. He wasn't sure if the other Jounin had any secrets hidden away in his biology, but chances were good that he did.

Sayuri snorted, "How do you think the kid got killed?" She asked, "Stopped to dispose of the body, little idiot."

"So it's gone," Kakashi pressed.

The woman shot him an annoyed look, "Yeah, it's gone, brat. They all are."

Kakashi ignored the name, thinking over his options. Slowly, he started, "It seems likely that the majority of their forces are searching these tunnels."

"You think?" Sayuri asked sharply, words dripping with sarcasm.

Kakashi ignored her again, "If we can block off the entrance, they'll be trapped. Even if they manage to rouse the demon, chances are it will satiate its anger on them while they're trapped."

Sayuri gave the boy a dubious look, "And you think you can do that?" She asked, "All by yourself, runt?"

Kakashi forced down his irritation—his teammates were infuriating. "I know I can," he retorted, "I'm not a Chuunin for nothing." _Unlike Obito_, some small part of his mind just had to add.

Sayuri stared at him for a long moment before grunting in ascent. She pushed on her side as hard as she could and eased herself off of the ground with the help of the wall—her bandages were already beginning to soak through. "Alright, brat," she said, "It's the only chance we've got so I'll give you it." She started heading back the way she'd come from, "Masaru-senpai, you coming?"

A long silence followed her question and the woman finally looked back. The older man still sat on the floor, a pensive expression on his face. Finally, he answered, "No... I'm not."

The woman frowned, "What do you mean you're not?" She demanded, a touch of anger in her voice, "There's nothing else we can do! There's too many of them!"

Masaru smiled grimly, "I can hardly lift my arms anymore," he said, "I haven't been able to feel my legs for the last five minutes." He raised his eyes to meet hers seriously, "I'm not getting out of this, Sayuri."

She stared at him for a long moment, then her face hardened and she turned away again, "Alright, fine. Have it your way, then." She took another step, "Yo, brat, let's go."

Kakashi steeled himself over and didn't look back at Masaru, joining the woman in her retreat, "How much of the way do you remember?" He asked.

The woman smiled sweetly at him, "I've got a hundred percent recall, baby," she said smoothly, "I could find my way out gagged and with my hands tied behind my back."

Kakashi stared at her blankly—was that supposed to impress him? He ignored it, motioning for her to lead the way. Sayuri rolled her eyes and stepped to the front.

* * *

Minato ran both hands through his hair, gripped it, and pulled slightly in an effort to relieve a little of the tension building up in his head. The third day of the mission was coming to a close and there hadn't been any news from the group. Not that that was particularly unusual.

He knew he shouldn't be so anxious, Kakashi was an excellent shinobi, and his teammates were all elite, as well. But missions used in the Jounin exams had a habit of going bad. Most people were surprised to hear that there was less than a ten percent chance of passing the exams, and only a fifty-fifty chance of surviving the final leg of the test.

Joining the ranks of the elite had never been easy.

Sighing silently, the Jounin quietly slid open the door to his student's room. Kakashi's bed was still neatly folded up along the wall, and Harry appeared to be sleeping peacefully. The boy had expressed some discontent over the older boy being gone, but seemed to have relaxed at Minato's insistence that he would be fine. Minato sincerely hoped he wouldn't be proved wrong at the end of all this.

* * *

"**Rairyuudan no Jutsu!**" The kunai Kakashi sent at their enemies were wreathed in glowing blue chakra, dancing across the blades as electrical energy.

Only one hit the mark, and the Rock-nin screamed as the electrically based chakra coursed through his entire body. He fell to the ground as the energy finally ran its course—either unconscious or dead. A second nin blocked the attack with his own kunai, transferring and diluting the energy in such a way that it only numbed his arm. The other two shinobi successfully dodged.

There was one good thing about fighting in tunnels, Kakashi reflected as he dodged a handful of shuriken. The Rock-nin couldn't use their signature earth techniques for fear of taking the whole tunnel down on their heads.

Still, four—three now—against two weren't great odds when one of the two could barely defend herself, let alone fight back.

Sayuri's injuries didn't keep her from fighting, but they did keep her from fighting effectively. Luckily, the enemy nin had realized this as soon as Kakashi had, and they focused the brunt of their attack against the only one they perceived as a serious threat—which was saying something since Kakashi's enemies had a habit of underestimating him.

Kakashi spun around, leaning over and using his shorter height as an advantage in dodging one of the shinobi's swings, and performed a back kick at the end of his spin, catching the man in the chest and knocking the air from his lungs. He threw a kunai in the man's direction as he turned his attention back to the other two nin who were closing in with their own attacks.

Kakashi dodged the string of kicks aimed at him from the shinobi on the right, and easily blocked a punch from the second shinobi, whose dominant hand remained mostly useless from his lightning attack. He followed his block with a knife-hand to the man's throat, which sent him reeling.

A heavy blow to his upper back caused the young Chuunin to stumble forward, but he dropped with the blow and spun, legs arcing towards those of his opponents. The Rock-nin jumped, and blocked the kunai Kakashi threw in midair.

Kakashi grit his teeth, mind racing. This wasn't going to be easy; the second shinobi he'd incapacitated a minute ago was already back on his feet and as angry as ever, and the third would be up soon, as well. The teen frowned—he'd never be able to fight off three shinobi at the same time by himself.

Jumping away from the two who were preparing to attack again, Kakashi landed in a crouch beside the man he'd hit in the neck. The man, still having trouble breathing, struck out at him with a kunai, but the blow was weak and it didn't even sink half the blade into Kakashi's thigh. The boy ignored it, expertly slitting the man's throat and yanking the kunai out in time to meet his other two aggressors. At least he wouldn't have to worry about that one getting back up.

He ducked below another punch, and dodged around a kick. The shinobi on the left retaliated by blowing a cloud of sand and debris from the tunnel floor at him. Kakashi shut his eyes immediately and jumped backwards again, only to find the first shinobi had somehow gotten behind him and was ready to land the killing blow.

Kakashi's body tensed on instinct as he prepared himself to react, but the blow never came and the man slowly sank to the ground. Behind him, Sayuri was grinning with an evil light in her eyes and Kakashi saw several kunai imbedded in the man's back, already soaked with blood.

"Shouldn't forget that they're fighting two shinobi," the woman muttered darkly, looking sadistically amused despite the breathless tone of her voice.

Kakashi didn't waste another second on her as he returned his attention to the last shinobi. They traded blows, jumping in and out of each other's range and maneuvering as much as the claustrophobic tunnel would allow, but it only took another minute or two before Kakashi's kunai found its mark, digging deep in under the other man's ribs and ripping out again at an angle to create the most damage he could. Finally, the last Rock-nin hit the ground.

"You okay, brat?" Sayuri asked, even though by her pale skin and the blood staining her chin, it was obvious that she was the one worse for the wear.

Kakashi rolled his shoulders experimentally, feeling the stinging pain from new scratches and stab wounds he'd added to his collection. His right forearm, which had deflected a powerful blow sometime in an earlier fight, was particularly painful, but nothing noticeably crippling. He nodded.

"I'm fine," Kakashi added, in case she hadn't seen him, "Let's keep moving."

The woman nodded, clutching her side—which was dripping again even through the second layer of bandages they'd added—with renewed pressure.

They were approaching the exit now, that had been the third group of Rock-nin they'd run across since leaving Masaru. Luckily, the formations they'd run across on their way out had all been fairly small in size, no more than three or four at a time. Even so, Kakashi was beginning to feel the exhaustion of fighting so many people piled on top of the days of travel with little rest they'd endured before this.

"I've got to hand it to you, runt," Sayuri breathed, sounding strained, "You're tougher than I thought you'd be."

Kakashi didn't grace her comment with a response and they slowed to a stop at another split in the path. Sayuri looked around at the two tunnels open to them, slight confusion and disorientation showing on her face.

Kakashi frowned, pressing his lips together tightly under his mask as he, too, regarded their choices. "I think it's this way," he said, nodding at the tunnel that broke off of the straight path.

Sayuri frowned slightly, still appearing uncertain.

"Sayuri-san?" He prompted.

Finally, the woman nodded, "We'll go with your guess, Kakashi-kun," she said at last, "I... can't remember this part too clearly." Her voice shook, obviously unnerved by this newest symptom.

Kakashi didn't respond but led the way down the tunnel.

* * *

It quickly became apparent that they'd chosen the correct path. After a few more twists and turns, and a run-in with a group of two Rock-nin that Kakashi had escaped from only with the addition of a deep cut on his left shoulder, the path began to collapse in on itself, the roof sloping down and the walls crushing in until the two shinobi were forced to crawl, just as they had on their way in.

Kakashi paused every meter or so to place a tag on the low ceiling and double check that Sayuri was still right behind him. When they finally crawled out into the cave that marked the entrance they were both exhausted. Sayuri appeared to be going on pure force of will.

They looked back at the small tunnel entrance, then Sayuri looked at Kakashi, "So," she asked, "How do you plan on doing this?"

Kakashi glanced at her, one eyebrow raised, and fixed a final tag to the entrance. The woman's eyes widened slightly as she looked over the familiar kanji. She regarded him with surprise, "How many of those do you have?"

Kakashi shrugged, "I've placed enough to destroy the tunnel for at least twenty meters," he said, "They won't be able to get out easily, and if they try to use any of their earth jutsu, it will only make things worse."

The woman nodded slowly, a pained smirk twisting her blood stained lips as she began retreating towards the entrance of the cave.

Kakashi waited until she was standing in the mouth of the cave before igniting the explosion tag with his chakra. It began to sizzle in response and he hastily joined her, pausing just long enough to add one more tag inside the cave on his way out. The two of them backed off to a safe distance as the tunnel was reduced to rubbish.

Kakashi looked at Sayuri. In the early morning sunlight, the woman almost looked worse than she had in the caves. Her skin wasn't quite as sickly as it was under the red light, but the blood stains on her dark clothes were even more apparent and the exhaustion in her expression even more so.

"Let's keep going," he said.

The woman nodded and the two struck out, back towards friendly territory.


	10. Family Matters

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: my cats think I own everything good in the world. Unfortunately, they are mistaken. I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter.

Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter! My schedule changed a little, so I was able to update today, after all. (Everyone cheers!) Not much to say this chapter. Buru is the name of Kakashi's bull dog summon, according to leafninja dot com. No warnings except for angst... A lot of that in this chapter. And flashbacks! Yes, I was inspired by your reviews to add flashbacks to this chapter, so hopefully you enjoy them. In the original version there were no flashbacks, but it works a lot better with them.

There're pieces near the end that might be a bit confusing. Let me know if they are and I'll add some extra explanation... Enjoy!

Chapter 10 – Family Matters 

James stared at the figure in shock and horror, millions of thoughts racing through his head. This wasn't supposed to be happening! Harry wasn't the one—why couldn't he see that? Harry wasn't even his son!

His eyes narrowed as fearful and hateful thoughts were replaced by memories of the little boy he'd been raising for the last year. The way Harry smiled and laughed and called him daddy. Even if he wasn't the father, biologically, Harry was still his son. Never in a million years would he let this monster at his son.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded in a growl, "Get out of here! Harry isn't the one you're looking for!"

"Out of my way, Potter," the pale man hissed, wand pointed straight at the younger man.

"I won't let you touch him," James said.

The other man's lips twisted into a cruel smirk, "I won't need to. Avada Kedavra!"

He saw the green light as though it was coming at him in slow motion. He willed his body to move, to jump to the side and throw a return spell, like he'd been trained to do, but his muscles wouldn't respond. His feet remained rooted to the spot and his heart thudded loudly in his ears.

And then it hit. The last thing he knew was the darkest wizard since Grindelwald crossing the threshold of his doorway.

* * *

It had been six days since his student had left and Minato finally approached the Hokage's Tower, Harry in tow as always. He hardly expected the mission—whatever it was—to be over, but at least they might have received word by now. 

He nodded in polite greeting to the Chuunin at the desk before heading upstairs to ask the Hokage personally if he'd heard from the group. He only stopped to look around the hallway in bemusement when he reached the doors.

There were four or five shinobi loitering in the halls, obviously waiting to speak with the Hokage, themselves, with varying degrees of impatience. Minato frowned—Sarutobi was usually more timely than this.

"What's going on?" He asked, hoping that one of them would know something.

"Mission report," one of the men said, nodding to the door, "He's been in there for almost two hours now."

Minato frowned, "That's unusual." Usually, a mission report was handed in on paper, and the shinobi was called in for questioning only after the Hokage had reviewed the report if he found himself to have further concerns over the events of the mission. He couldn't remember ever giving a two hour long report to the Hokage.

"Whoever it is," a kunoichi added, "Their mission obviously didn't go well." Minato looked at her curiously and she continued, "Hokage-sama had two med-nin called in within the first ten minutes. They didn't even come out for another half an hour."

Minato's eyes widened slightly—that was even more unusual. Normally, if a shinobi was as injured as that, he would have been sent to the hospital first, and recalled for a report later.

All eyes turned to the door when it finally opened and an exhausted figure stepped out. Minato's eyes widened in shock and his hand automatically gripped Harry's shoulder when the boy took a step forward.

Kakashi didn't seem to have noticed them yet, ignoring the eyes on him as he made his way to the staircase, head bowed slightly just because he was too tired to keep it up.

"Kakashi," Minato finally said when the boy had nearly passed him.

The boy paused, blinking tiredly, then looked up. His skin was pale and face weathered from days without sleep, and his uniform was stained with blood. Through the jagged cuts in his uniform, Minato could see clean bandages, which was a good sign, the medics had obviously done their work well. The Jounin turned, keeping step with the tired boy as he began to move on.

"I take it you ran into a little trouble," Minato said carefully, keeping his voice low.

"... You could say that," Kakashi agreed tiredly.

"Where are the others?" Minato asked, looking over his shoulder at the door to the Hokage's office, expecting to see at least some of the boy's teammates following him out—there was no one, other than the shinobi currently arguing about who would go in next.

"..." Kakashi didn't answer for a long moment. Then, quietly, he replied with a single word, "Dead."

Minato didn't say anything else and Harry picked up on the tense atmosphere enough to keep his mouth shut. They went straight back to the apartment, and Kakashi immediately collapsed in his room, barely pausing long enough to roll out his futon.

Minato waited until he was sure the young teen was asleep before reluctantly taking Harry off to meet with the rest of his team.

* * *

When Kakashi woke up a small ray of sun had found its way through the bedroom curtains. He continued to lay there, half awake but still clinging tiredly to sleep, for several minutes, staring at the line of light on his wall.

Finally the boy shifted into a sitting position, dully taking in the rest of the room. Harry's futon was empty, folded up as it normally was when he wasn't using it, and the room was as bare as usual.

It took a few more minutes for the teen to drag his sore body out of bed. He grabbed a clean set of clothes from the dresser and only then realized he'd been changed out of his bloody uniform. That fact was only slightly annoying when he realized he must have slept through the entire thing.

He made his way to the door and slid it open, staring at the rest of the apartment blankly for several more minutes before walking across to the bathroom. The apartment was empty—Harry and his teacher must be out somewhere. Probably training or something with the others.

Everything seemed surreal as he fell into his usual morning routine with an odd sense of disconnection. In the wake of so much high pressure activity, the mundane activities of everyday life seemed fake and forced. He wasn't able to push the feeling aside like he usually did.

Once he was showered and dressed in fresh clothes, Kakashi felt marginally better. He collapsed on the couch with his paper work and tediously began to fill out the forms for his report. After all, it was best to get this done with while everything was fresh in his mind.

* * *

"You're going to hurt your back like that."

Kakashi blearily opened an eye to realize that he'd fallen asleep again on the couch. He frowned up at his teacher's amused face, then reluctantly disentangled himself from his paperwork. The pages seemed to be irreparably wrinkled, and the ink smudged.

"I thought you were training," the teen muttered, glancing at the window just to make sure too much time hadn't passed.

His teacher smiled and slid down onto the couch next to him, "I came back," he pointed out with a shrug.

Kakashi looked around again, eyebrows drawing together slightly, "Where's Harii-san?"

"He stayed out with Obito and Rin," Minato answered, "I think they went to lunch or something."

At the mention of food, the boy's stomach growled loudly. He pretended not to hear and sorted through his paperwork again, smoothing it out in the hopes that his already poor writing was still legible, "Hmm."

"Kakashi..." Minato started slowly, after watching the boy work for several minutes, "Are you... okay?"

Kakashi glanced up, face emotionless, "I'm fine, sensei," he assured the man, "The injuries I sustained were minor. I should be able to return to active duty in a day or two."

Minato smiled slightly and rubbed the back of his head, "That's not exactly what I meant, Kashi-kun." His smile faded and he added, seriously, "It's hard to lose teammates, even if you haven't been with them for long. Are you sure you're alright?"

The boy's face was still unreadable, "We all did our duty, sensei," he said blankly, "The mission seems to have been a success, that's the important thing."

The Jounin sighed but let the subject pass. Dealing with the death of comrades wasn't something that could be explained or taught. Kakashi would learn his own way, eventually.

* * *

"I know!" Obito exclaimed suddenly, "We should take Harii-kun to see the new Taiyaki-Taichou movie!"

Rin raised an eyebrow, "You want to see Taiyaki-Taichou?" She asked incredulously.

The boy flushed, "Not me!" He insisted, "I just think Harii-kun would like it."

Frowning, Harry interrupted, "What does kun mean?"

"What do you need, Harii-kun?" Rin asked in confusion.

"What does kun mean?" Harry repeated—it was something he'd been wondering for a while. "Like Harry-kun and Kakashi-kun and Obito-kun..."

"Oh!" The girl lit up with understanding, "Kun is just a suffix, Harii," she explained, "Anô... You add it on to the end of a name, usually for other people around your age or younger than you."

Harry stared at her blankly.

Rin looked at Obito for help.

Obito scratched the back of his head, "Anô... like Rin said, it's just something you add onto the end of a name... like san or chan..."

Harry frowned, "What does san mean?"

"Well... it's like kun," Rin supplied, "Only... it's more formal... We usually use it for people older or shinobi with higher ranks than us, or someone you don't know."

"And chan is more familiar," Obito added, "Usually for little kids or girls you know really well."

Harry frowned thoughtfully, trying to make sense of what the two teens were telling him. He was kind of starting to get it, but he didn't really understand most of what they were saying. It was a bit frustrating. After a moment he decided to pursue this line of thought a little further and looked up again, "What does niisan mean?"

The two teens exchanged looks of surprise. Obito stared at the younger boy and Rin asked uncertainly, "You don't know what niisan means, Harii-kun?"

"You mean he's been calling Kakashi niisan all this time and doesn't even know what it means?" Obito added incredulously, "Does he even know that they're brothers?"

"Of course he does," Rin retorted, even though she was beginning to wonder, herself, "Harii, niisan is what you call your older brother."

"Aniki...?" Harry repeated in confusion—he really wished he could understand the language better already.

"You know..." Rin struggled to find some way to explain the familial relationship, "You and Kakashi-kun have the same o-tousan," she explained carefully, "So... so you're brothers."

"O-tousan?" Harry repeated.

Obito looked at the boy incredulously, "You don't even know that? Your o-tousan! You live with him, don't you? You must have seen him before!"

Harry's brow wrinkled in a confused frown as he tried to make sense of everything, "O-tousan... is sensei?"

The two teen's exchanged disbelieving looks.

"No!" Rin said, "No, no, O-tousan is... is Hatake-san!" She said, "You know... he's your and Kakashi's oyaji."

"Hatake-san..." Harry repeated thoughtfully. Kakashi's name was Hatake—Hatake Kakashi, but Rin and Obito never called him that. And he'd been called that before, too—Hatake Harry—even though his name was Potter.

Thinking it over carefully, Harry's eyes suddenly widened. He looked up in surprise, eyes wide, and blurted in English, "Kakashi-niisan is my _brother_?!"

Obito and Rin looked at each other in wary bemusement.

Harry's mind raced—but they couldn't actually be brothers, could they? The Dursleys had never mentioned any family besides his parents—who they obviously thought poorly of. Surely someone would have at least _mentioned_ it if he had a brother.

All of a sudden he recalled that old man with the long beard saying something about a brother to him. He hadn't been paying too much attention at the time, still in shock over what had happened to his family, and as much as he tried he couldn't remember what he'd said. Had he said something about his brother or Harry's?

Of course he'd been aware that he and Kakashi looked similar to each other, but he'd assumed it was a coincidence. After all, even the family he was related to didn't look anything like him. That, and white wasn't his natural hair color—the Dursleys' irritated comments on his hair and their multiple attempts to dye it back to black had made that obvious—so it didn't make much sense to assume someone else with white hair would be related to him.

And none of it explained the older boy's cool behavior towards him. If he _was_ his brother, then surely Kakashi must know, and why would anyone treat their own brother like some random stranger? He knew if he had a brother, he would want to get to know him as much as he could, but Kakashi certainly didn't act like he wanted to get to know him at all.

The boy frowned—he must have misunderstood. They couldn't possibly mean that he and Kakashi were brothers, it was too absurd a thought.

Still, the seed had been planted and he was already beginning to see the older boy in a different light. There were small things—like when Kakashi had let him sleep next to him, or how Kakashi left Ryou-kun to stay with him when he and sensei went on missions. And Kakashi acted coolly towards everyone, even sensei and Obito and Rin who he spent so much time with. Maybe Kakashi didn't know how to act with a brother anymore than Harry did.

"Harii-kun?" Rin asked uncertainly.

Harry looked up, a small frown on his lips. Their explanations had left him even more confused, if anything.

"Would you like to see the movie, Harii-kun?" The girl asked.

Harry continued to stare at her blankly.

"Or... would you like to go to the park?" Rin added.

Harry frowned and made his decision, "Kakashi-niisan."

Rin blinked, frowning in confusion, and asked uncertainly, "You... want to see Kakashi-kun?"

The little boy nodded.

Rin looked as though she might argue for a moment, then she relented with a nod and turned to her teammate, "Obito, go ahead and see if Kakashi-kun minds if we come back early."

The boy groaned in distaste but reluctantly did as she said, jumping to the rooftops and racing off.

Smiling, Rin held out her hand to Harry, "Okay," she said, "We'll go see him now."

* * *

Minato frowned slightly, glancing back at the despondent teen still working on his report. He stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind him, "You're bringing him back already?"

Obito shifted nervously, looking anywhere but at his teacher, "Well... he said he wanted to come back and see Kakashi..."

Minato sighed, thinking. He'd really wanted more time to try and get through to Kakashi, but his student would never admit to anything if other people were around. The rare times when the boy had confided in him had always been when the two were alone.

"Sensei..." Obito started hesitantly, still not looking at the man.

Minato looked towards him again, frowning at the serious look on the young Uchiha's face.

"Sensei..." Obito started again, finally looking up with confused, black eyes, "Harii-kun... he doesn't know..." He hesitated, not sure how to word his concerns, "Kakashi and Harii... don't live with their parents, do they?"

Minato shifted awkwardly, and it was his turn to avoid his student's eyes, "Maa... I don't think this is the best time to talk about it, Obito-kun."

The boy frowned, eyes hardening with determination, "Harii doesn't even know what a father is!" He exclaimed, "What's going on? Why don't they live with their parents? Sensei!"

Minato frowned, "That's enough, Obito," he said sharply, surprising the boy. His expression softened a little at Obito's shocked look, "I know you mean well, Obito-kun," he added somberly, "But if Kakashi wanted you to know, he would tell you."

Obito stared up at him for a long moment, confusion and uncertainty playing on his face. At last he quietly asked, "Are... are they dead?"

Minato didn't reply, but his student took it as confirmation. He could hardly believe it—that his teammate was hiding something like that from them. Of course, he'd never talked about his parents, or his family at all, they'd just assumed he couldn't be that different from them.

Obito was still staring at his teacher in silent shock when Kakashi and Rin arrived. Rin looked between the two shinobi, a small frown of confusion on her lips, and gripped Harry's hand a little tighter.

"Sensei," she started carefully, "What's going on?"

The man looked up and his serious look was quickly covered by a bright smile, "It's nothing," he assured the girl. Looking at Harry, his smile widened a little, "Hello, Harii-kun! How was your lunch?"

"... Un," the boy said after thinking for a long moment.

Minato chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair, "Well, I wasn't expecting you three to come back so soon," he admitted, "Come on inside," he offered, steering the boy towards the door and extending the invitation to his other two students, "Obito, Rin."

Obito was still standing where he had been, the silent look of shock still on his face. As her teacher and Harry disappeared inside the apartment, Rin approached Obito, looking at him strangely.

"Obito...?" She asked uncertainly, "What's wrong?"

As though his brain had suddenly caught up with the last five minutes, the boy shook himself out of his stupor. His face still had a strange expression on it, and Rin wasn't quite sure what it meant, but he shrugged off her concern—albeit, a little unconvincingly.

"No... It's nothing," he said, repeating his teacher's earlier words. He turned away from the apartment, "I'm going home."

Rin blinked after him as he ran towards the end of the hall, "Obito...?" She wondered in confusion—this wasn't anything like how the Uchiha usually acted. What could have happened between him and their teacher? Obito didn't respond to her call and had soon disappeared around the corner.

Tearing her eyes away from the empty hall, Rin entered the apartment. Harry was standing awkwardly beside Kakashi, who was ignoring him in favor of writing something down. Minato stood off to the side by the wall, watching with a small frown. Rin joined the man.

"Kakashi-niisan," Harry started at last, voice soft but determined. He was definitely going to figure this out once and for all.

The older boy didn't acknowledge him, but Harry pressed bravely on. He took a deep breath and asked what was on his mind, "What does niisan mean?"

Kakashi didn't so much as look up, although his eyebrows did draw together in a frown.

Harry frowned as he was ignored, "Kakashi-niisan?"

The older boy let out an exasperated sigh and crumpled the paper he'd been writing on. He looked up, right past Harry, half-lidded eyes meeting his teacher's, "I messed up," he said simply.

Minato raised an eyebrow, "You could have just crossed it out," he pointed out, "People do that all the time."

Kakashi looked down at the crumpled form, "... I'll get another."

The Jounin smiled, "No problem," he said before the teen could get up, "Rin and I will get it for you." He slung an arm around the girl's shoulders and grinned at her, "Won't we, Rin-chan?"

Rin looked from her teacher to the two boys and quickly agreed, "Right! We'll be right back, Kakashi-kun."

"You stay here and rest up, Kakashi," Minato told the boy as he and Rin made their way back to the door, "Rin and I will get those papers for you."

Kakashi watched them leave with a slightly bemused expression. He scowled as the door closed behind them and leaned back on the couch, "They didn't even ask what paper I needed," he grumbled.

"Kakashi-niisan," Harry said again.

Finally, the older boy looked at him, expression blank, "What?"

Harry frowned unhappily, "What does niisan mean?" He asked testily, not at all liking being ignored.

Kakashi frowned at him, "Niisan?"

The boy nodded, frowning right back.

Kakashi shrugged, "It just means that."

Harry frowned—this was getting nowhere. "What does o-tousan mean?"

Kakashi's muscles tensed instinctively, then relaxed again. He shrugged, "I don't know."

Harry's frown deepened, "What does it mean?"

Kakashi didn't answer.

"Kakashi-niisan!" Harry pressed again, irritated.

The shinobi stood abruptly, eyes flashing in anger. He glared down at the boy, "I told you," he said harshly, "I don't know. It doesn't matter, anyway, just forget about it, Harii."

Harry stared at the older boy in shock as he crossed swiftly to the door of the apartment and left. Surprise, anger, fear, and confusion swirled inside of him as he struggled to make sense of what was happening.

He'd upset Kakashi, but how could he not know what those things meant? Kakashi was the one who told him to call him that! The boy frowned indignantly—it wasn't fair! How could he get mad at him just for asking questions? That was supposed to be something the Dursleys did, not these new people he lived with now. How was he supposed to learn things if he didn't ask?

He wasn't sure how long he'd stood there, shock keeping him in place as his thoughts raced each other around in circles, but eventually Minato and Rin returned. Minato frowned slightly as he noticed Harry standing there by himself. He handed the papers he'd been carrying to Rin and approached the boy.

"Harii-kun," the man said softly, crouching beside him, "Are you okay? Where did Kakashi go?"

All of a sudden the boy's cold words seemed to sink in and tears sprang to the boy's eyes as the concerned face hovered in front of him. Minato's frown deepened slightly with worry.

"Harii?" He asked again, smoothing back the boy's untidy hair, "Are you okay?"

Sniffing a little, Harry nodded.

"Where's Kakashi?" Minato repeated.

Harry shrugged, then pointed to the door.

Minato sighed, torn between finding his wayward student and comforting the little boy in front of him. Eventually, the latter won out and he scooped the boy up, seating both of them on the couch with his arms around Harry.

The boy didn't actually cry, but he did bury his face in the protective chest beside him, taking comfort from the warm hands that rubbed him gently. He'd seen his aunt hold Dudley like this, sometimes, when he cried, but he'd never been on the receiving side of such comfort. Vaguely, he recalled the time he'd been in the woods, but that seemed like ages ago, when he'd first arrived. He'd understood even less then.

"Anô..." Rin stepped forward uncertainly, feeling like she was intruding. "Sensei," she started awkwardly, "Harii-kun doesn't understand that Kakashi-kun is his brother. Anô... I don't think he understands about a lot of stuff."

Minato sighed, still rubbing the boy's arm comfortingly. It was strange how the two boys could be so alike and so different at the same time. For as long as he'd known Kakashi, he'd never been very expressive of his emotions. He and Harry were both quiet, but in different ways, and Harry was a hundred times more vulnerable than Kakashi had ever been—or seemed, at any rate.

"He's still learning," he told Rin softly, "They both are... with time, they'll work it out."

Rin frowned skeptically, "But at least Kakashi-kun knows," she pointed out, "Isn't there some way we can explain it to Harii-kun?"

Minato thought for a moment, then shook his head, "The only way he can learn is by seeing it," he said, "It's hard to explain abstract things like family to someone who has nothing to base that understanding off of; whether they've never had a family or friends, or whether they just don't understand the language you're speaking. It isn't something that can be explained."

Rin frowned in thought, then brightened, "Maybe we can take him to the Uchiha compound," she suggested, "Obito has a big family, maybe if he saw some other families, he'd start to understand. And I'm sure kaasan wouldn't mind if we had dinner at my house one night—he could meet my brothers, too." She frowned slightly, "Of course, we'll have to find sometime when they're both home."

Minato smiled, "That's a great idea!" He agreed eagerly. He nudged Harry a little, "What do you think, Harii-kun? Wouldn't you like to meet Rin's brothers?"

"Rin's o-niisan...?" Harry asked, frowning slightly in confusion.

The man grinned cheerfully, "It's settled then!" He announced, "Rin, you'll have to find out when we can meet them. I'll talk to Obito later about maybe meeting his family, too."

Rin nodded.

Minato slowly began pulling away from Harry, "In the meantime," he said, "I should really go find Kakashi."

Rin nodded again, "I'll stay here with Harii-kun, sensei."

The Jounin flashed her a grateful smile before disappearing out the door again.

Rin rolled her eyes—everyone was disappearing today, it seemed.

* * *

Kakashi lay on his back in the middle of the training clearing, staring at the small patch of open sky between the branches far overhead. He'd barely been training for half an hour and he was already exhausted.

His training hadn't been as relaxing as he'd hoped. Images of Masaru-san, slumped half dead against the cavern wall haunted him, and the last moments he'd shared with Sayuri taunted at his mind, pointing out things he should have done.

"_I'm not... going to make it." The woman collapsed to the ground for what seemed like the hundredth time since they started, arm curled around her bloodied side._

_Kakashi had been annoyed. They didn't know if they were being followed, and even though they were once more in Fire Country territory, they were far enough out that they hadn't reached the border patrol, yet, "I'll carry you," he offered, even though it was hard enough just keeping himself upright._

_Sayuri laughed breathlessly, "I'll tell you a secret, kid, I'm not as light as I look."_

_Kakashi hadn't thought she looked particularly light, but decided not to point it out. "There's a town six kilometers from here." He could make it that far, with a little chakra._

_The woman was silent at his announcement, presumably thinking of their position and the town Kakashi had mentioned. She struggled to her feet and shook her head, "It's too far out of the way. We need to get news back to Konoha as soon as possible." Plus, they were probably followed. Most of Rock's forces had been underground, but it seemed unlikely that they'd __all__ been in the tunnels._

"_You said you won't make it," Kakashi pointed out, "There's no reason for you to push yourself." Except that if they were being followed, the Rock-nin were bound to catch up soon and then they'd be in real trouble._

"_You're right..." The woman had agreed, eyes glossy and unfocused, "We'll split up. You go ahead to Konoha, I'll make my way east to the town."_

_Kakashi looked at the woman doubtfully. Could she even make it ten kilometers? They were barely six from the mountains and she was already having trouble._

"_Go," the woman insisted, "The Hokage needs to be told."_

Kakashi had agreed and started running, leaving Sayuri to fend for herself. He still didn't know if she'd made it or not.

"You shouldn't push yourself, Kakashi," his teacher's voice broke him out of his thoughts, amused and disapproving at the same time, "The medics expected you to be out for at least two or three days, take it easy."

Kakashi didn't move, "That explains why I feel like I've been run over by Buru-san," he grumbled, not really thinking of dogs at all.

He'd run into an ambush shortly after they'd split up. He never would have made it through with Sayuri slowing him down. He barely made it through at all, but the border patrol had been unusually close and had managed to make it in time to offer assistance.

Minato snickered—he'd had the unfortunate pleasure of being trampled by that summon before, he'd also had the fortunate pleasure of watching others be on the receiving end of Buru-san's massive weight.

"Well," he said a moment later, a grin still on his face, "That's what happens when you push yourself to exhaustion on a mission."

"Hmm," Kakashi mused distractedly. He didn't know what happened to the border patrol, either, having been waved on when they initiated contact with the enemy. He wouldn't have been much help, anyway.

Minato stepped out of the trees and sat down next to the boy. He was silent for several minutes until Kakashi finally worked up the energy to sit up as well.

"You got Harii-kun pretty upset," the man commented at last, not looking at the boy.

Kakashi grunted, "He's too emotional." He wondered what Harry would think if he knew what had happened. He'd probably be terrified.

"He's a kid," Minato said wryly, "That's how kids are supposed to be."

Kakashi didn't respond—he couldn't remember a time when he'd still been able to be terrified.

Minato looked across at him and added, "You're a kid, too, you know."

The thirteen-year-old sent him a dubious look, "I'm a shinobi. I'm up for Jounin." Sayuri had called him a kid, too, but he wasn't the one who'd got himself killed.

"You can be both," Minato said.

Kakashi shot him a disbelieving look and didn't respond, wondering how anyone could be considered a kid after they'd caused as much death as he had.

Minato sighed and they fell silent again.

"Kakashi..." The man started tiredly at length, "Are you sure you don't want to talk?"

The boy raised an eyebrow and looked up at him, forcing thoughts of his mission down, "About what?"

"About your mission," Minato supplied. He frowned, "You've been under a lot of stress lately with the Jounin exams and it all came to a head on that mission. Believe it or not, it's okay to show emotions occasionally."

Again, Kakashi didn't respond. Part of him—perhaps that bit that sensei still referred to as a child—desperately wanted to tell his teacher everything that happened. But he wasn't sure what would happen if he did, he wasn't sure he'd be able to control himself. It had been bad enough reciting the entire thing to the Hokage, he wasn't sure he could take a second retelling.

Minato sighed again and stood up. He held a hand down over Kakashi, "Come on, let's get back. You've got a report to finish, and I'm sure it'll be more comfortable to sleep inside than out here."

Kakashi stared at him for a moment before taking the hand, allowing his teacher to heave him back to his feet.

* * *

"Ready to go?" Minato asked Harry with a smile.

The boy nodded and confirmed with a quiet, "Hai."

"Great, let's hurry," Minato said. He frowned slightly as they left, "I hope Obito won't be late."

"Where?" Harry asked, still rubbing his eyes tiredly. He'd been a little surprised to wake up that morning only to find Kakashi had already slipped out, but he hadn't had any time to dwell on it, though, since he was shortly dragged out of bed, dressed, fed a quick breakfast, and dragged outside.

"We're going to the Hokage's Tower," Minato said cheerfully.

Harry shot him an odd look, "Why?" He recognized the name.

"Hmm... You'll see," the man replied happily.

Harry frowned but resigned himself to the fact that he wasn't about to get answers. Even if he did, he probably wouldn't understand them.

Rin was waiting for them at the doors to the Hokage's office. She smiled in relief when she saw them, "Oh, good, you're finally here, sensei."

The man raised an eyebrow, "I take it Obito isn't here yet?"

The girl shook her head, "No, but there's a bunch of... weird people in there, sensei."

Minato laughed, "Ah... Well, let's go in now, if we wait for Obito we'll probably miss half the ceremony."

Rin stuck close to her teacher as they went inside.

The Hokage's office was more crowded than usual. Most of the Jounin currently in the village were there, milling around as they waited for the ceremony to start. Minato spotted Kakashi conversing in low tones with the Hokage—the other Jounin gave them a wide berth.

"This is so exciting," Rin whispered, eyes shining, "I can't believe Kakashi's actually going to be a Jounin!"

The Hokage cleared his throat and the room went silent, shinobi everywhere turning towards their leader attentively. The old man nodded approvingly, face set in a serious mask.

"Jounin of Konoha, you have come here today to welcome a new comrade among you," Kakashi stood stoically at his side, face expressionless. "Hatake Kakashi, stand before me, please."

The thirteen-year-old dutifully stepped forward, turning to face the Hokage.

"In accordance with article 13, paragraphs 1-26 of the Konoha Shinobi Code, you are hereby granted the rank of Jounin. Do you accept the responsibilities granted to you by this position?" His piercing, aged eyes locked onto the boy's.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Kakashi confirmed with a forced confidence.

"Then it is my privilege to bestow upon you the rank of Jounin," the Hokage declared. Finally, his lips turned up in a small smile, "Congratulations, Hatake-san."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Kakashi said, bowing to the man.

The Hokage nodded and motioned for him to straighten again.

The whole ceremony hadn't taken more than ten minutes, but time in a shinobi country, especially when it was at war, was hard to come by and all ceremonies were kept short as a rule. Kakashi joined his teacher on the way out of the office.

Minato grinned at his student, "So, you finally made it," he commented pleasantly.

Kakashi didn't smile back, his mind replaying what the Hokage had told him earlier. "Hai."

"_I'm afraid I have some bad news for you, Kakashi..."_

"Well, let's see it," the man prodded excitedly.

"See what?" Rin wondered.

Kakashi pulled out a small scroll, a red label decorating it with the sign of the Fire Nation on the front. He unrolled it mechanically and the three shinobi admired the official documentation of his rank.

"_She didn't make it... did she?"_

"You see that, Harii-kun?" Minato asked, looking down at the little boy, "Your big brother's finally made Jounin, what do you think of that?"

The boy looked at him blankly for a moment, then turned his eyes back to the scroll.

Minato chuckled and Kakashi rolled his scroll back up. The man turned to his student, "Well, I guess I shouldn't call you Kashi-kun, anymore," he commented wistfully, "We're the same rank now..."

"I guess not, sensei," Kakashi agreed, not really paying attention to the light banter his teacher was trying to pull him into.

"_It's true that she made it as far as Mosusogou."_

The man laughed again, "I'll think about easing out of it," he decided.

Looking around, Rin frowned, "Looks like Obito didn't make it."

Minato sighed, "I'll have a talk with him later."

"Don't bother," Kakashi muttered, "Why would I want that loser here in the first place?"

"Because he's your teammate," Minato said coolly, "And teammates should be there for each other, ne?"

Kakashi didn't respond, the beginnings of guilt being swiftly pushed down. Even the Hokage had told him he was right in what he'd done.

"_You did the best that you could, Kakashi."_

"I've got a great idea!" Minato announced suddenly.

The three children looked up at him—Harry with a small frown of confusion, Rin with curiosity, and Kakashi with resignation.

"_Mosusogou doesn't have the same level of health care that we have here."_

"Let's get ramen for lunch," the blonde continued happily. He shot a grin at Kakashi, "And, to celebrate his promotion, Kakashi's buying!"

The boy frowned slightly, "Shouldn't that be the other way, sensei?"

"_Sayuri-san..."_

"Sensei, it isn't even lunch time," Rin added.

"We just had breakfast an hour ago," Kakashi agreed. He really wasn't in the mood for food.

"_She passed away, Kakashi... The day before yesterday."_

"It's never too early for ramen," Minato declared assuredly, and struck out for the ramen stand with the other three in tow.


	11. Natural Habit

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I own everything in the world! ... okay, so I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter, but everything else... okay, so maybe I don't own everything else, either, but I do own this crummy laptop I'm typing on. (I have to prop the screen up with a book now!)

Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you guys are liking this story. It's fun hearing your responses to things. Sorry about this chapter being a little late. I've been busy all weekend, trying to balance two jobs and getting ready for a tournament in Karate (which was this morning, by the way, we got second place!)... But Sunday's still technically the weekend, so it's not too horrible, right?

A few notes on this chapter... First on timing, this chapter takes place in late October to early November. A lot of guilt going around in this chapter, most of it self-explainable, but I feel the need to explain Harry's mentality a bit. Young children tend to be extremely self-centered in their thinking, that is, they tend to think that everything that happens around them is because of them.

Warning: Obviously, there are major spoilers from manga chapters 239 to 244 from this point on.

Hope things come across well in this chapter... It was hard to keep things balanced between introspection and plot.

Chapter 11 – Natural Habit 

Lily backed away from the door, standing in front of her baby's bed protectively as footsteps approached the door on the opposite side, not at all attempting stealth. "James?" She called out, hopeful and doubting at the same time.

There was no answer, but a hand tried the doorknob. It was locked and it stilled again quickly. A simple _Alohamora_ would have allowed entrance, but Voldemort instead used a blasting curse, blowing the door off its hinges to clatter loudly to the floor with a cloud of smoke and sawdust. Lily's eyes widened fearfully as the pale man stepped through the doorway, tall and intimidating and undeniably evil.

"N-no," she stuttered, already aware that the only way he would have made it this far was if James was dead. Her voice rose to an almost hysteric scream, "Get out! You can't have Harry!"

The dark wizard merely regarded her through narrowed eyes, not appearing at all amused, "Don't be a fool," he hissed, "This has nothing to do with you, woman. In fact, I applaud your bravery. Step aside and your life will be spared."

Lily couldn't imagine her life without James and Harry. She'd lost one of them already, and if she lost her baby in addition to her husband she wouldn't be able to take it. "No!" She cried again, "Don't hurt Harry! Take me instead!"

"Foolish woman," Voldemort hissed, "I will have the boy with or without your help." A cold smirk twisted his lips into an ugly impression of a smile, "However, since you insist, I will take your life, first."

Before Lily had another chance to protest, the dark lord had flicked his wand, calling out the name of the most deadly spell in the wizarding world.

Lily fell to the ground lifelessly and Voldemort approached the babe, red eyes glittering with excitement and the expectation of victory.

* * *

"You're late again," Kakashi grumbled, glaring as the black-haired boy entered the clearing, dragging his feet the entire way.

"What time did you think we were meeting at, idiot?" The newly promoted Jounin lectured with irritation, "This is important, the least you could do is _try_ to show up on time! A real shinobi follows the rules and regulations strictly!"

Obito frowned at him sullenly for a moment before averting his gaze to his feet—one toe scuffed against the ground. "Yeah, yeah, enough already. Can we go now, sensei?" He asked, not looking at any of his teammates.

He didn't see Rin's eyes widen in surprise or Kakashi's irritated huff.

"Ninja who don't follow the rules and regulations are called trash—that's all," the younger boy stated firmly, turning his back on the Uchiha to start heading off.

"Just shut up," Obito grumbled without his usual spite as he trudged after the other boy, "It's always about the rules and regulations with you..."

* * *

"Shi..." Harry said as he carefully copied the character into the last row of the column. His writing was sloppy, and very slow, but he thought he was doing pretty good. The nice, red-haired woman that had been helping him seemed to agree.

"That's good," Kushina said—her left arm was up in a sling that she was hopeful to be out of in a few days, "Now, the next one is..."

"Chi," Harry supplied as he looked to the top of the next column, recalling the work they'd done so far. Carefully, he began copying this character as well.

Kushina had called it Hiragana, and it was very different than the alphabet Harry was used to. The only similarity was the five vowels which sounded just like the vowels he was used to, even though they looked very different. There were also a lot more characters in this new alphabet, Harry had learned, 104 to his usual 26. Still, the six-year-old was determined to learn.

As he finished up that column, repeating the sound out loud every time he wrote the character again, and looked up to the left for the next character, Kushina interrupted.

"It's getting late, Harii-kun," she noted, "We'll call it a day for now. Let's get some lunch, then we can do something outside, okay?"

The boy nodded, understanding most of what she'd said, and got to his feet, rolling up the scroll as the woman put away the ink single-handedly.

* * *

"Sensei..." Obito started sullenly as he climbed onto the rock they were camping nearby.

The blonde, perched on top of the large boulder, turned with a faint smile, "Obito. What is it?"

The Uchiha clambered over him and settled down beside him, looking preoccupied with his thoughts. It took several minutes before he finally spoke.

"I understand the importance of teamwork... but Kakashi, even when I'm trying to be nice... he only makes me out to be a lazy idiot," the boy complained morosely, "... I acknowledge that Kakashi's an amazing person, but even so... Even if he lost his parents, and hasn't had an easy life—even then..."

"Hmm..." Minato sighed, frowning thoughtfully out at the star-speckled sky, "Obito, even though you understand this, you don't really understand him at all... It's more complicated than being a gifted prodigy, or even than the loss of his parents... You see, Kakashi is the son of a genius ninja, Hatake Sakumo, also known as Konoha's White Fang..."

* * *

It was late in the evening when Harry and Kushina returned home after spending the afternoon at the park. Kushina was proud of the boy—today he'd played a little with the other children. Harry hadn't made the first move, but he'd shyly accepted an invitation to play when another boy had approached him.

Even with the difficulty the children had had understanding each other, it seemed that they'd still had a good time, and even now Harry was still smiling at odd intervals. As far as Kushina was concerned, spending time out in the community was just as important for Harry's development as learning to read and write. Plus, it was a lot more fun for her.

They were a little surprised when they entered to find Minato slumped on the couch, looking about as miserable as a kicked puppy.

"Minato?" Kushina was the first to voice her surprise as she led the way inside, Harry following and closing the door. "What's wrong?"

The man sighed tiredly and didn't answer.

Kushina hesitated, hovering nervously near the door before taking a seat next to the man on the couch, "Minato..." She started again.

Harry looked worriedly at the man but headed to his room, instead. If sensei was back, that meant Kakashi was back, too, and if sensei was sad, maybe Kakashi was, too.

He quietly opened the door, but frowned when he saw the room was empty. Confused, the boy walked back over to the couch where the two adults were sitting, Kushina with an arm wrapped around Minato's shoulders and Minato staring blankly at the floor.

"Sensei..." Harry started awkwardly—the man brought his eyes up after several long seconds. The six-year-old fidgeted awkwardly, "Er... Where's Kakashi-niisan?"

The man looked away again and for an alarming moment Harry thought he was going to cry. He didn't, but Kushina seemed to have caught on to the distress the question caused, as well. She tightened her one-armed embrace a little more.

"Minato," she said carefully, "Where is he? Did something happen to Kakashi?"

It took a while for Minato to find his voice, "Kakashi's... at the hospital."

The woman's eyes widened, "Is he okay?" She asked before she could stop herself, then, immediately feeling foolish added, "I mean, is he going to be okay? He's not injured badly, is he?" Although it was obvious it was bad enough for him to at least stay the night if Minato had left him there.

Minato hesitated and chose his reply carefully, sounding immensely tired when he finally spoke, "Physically... he'll be fine."

Kushina frowned, put on edge by the man's wording, "What do you mean? What happened, Minato?"

Minato didn't want to answer, but it would be all over the village soon enough. That and he desperately wanted someone to confide in, and he couldn't think of a better choice than Kushina. He slumped further in his seat, feeling as though the weight of his own conscience was crushing him.

He should have gotten there sooner. Kakashi was talented, but he was still young. He'd put too much on the boy's shoulders. Even if he'd accompanied them just a little farther, he could have stopped everything before it even started.

Minato forced his self-punishing thoughts to stop, they weren't helping anyone. He'd been needed elsewhere, and his students were talented, there was no reason for him to suspect they'd be ambushed. He'd done everything he could have.

"Obito... is dead..." Those three words must have been the hardest three words he'd ever said in his life.

Kushina gasped and held him tighter while Harry looked on in confusion.

* * *

Minato frowned when he entered Kakashi's hospital room only to find the boy laying back in bed, unwrapped eye staring listlessly up at the ceiling beside its bandaged partner.

"Kakashi," the man started disapprovingly, "You need to get ready, it starts in twenty minutes."

Kakashi didn't answer for a long moment, then said simply, "I'm not going."

Minato's frown deepened, "Kakashi..."

The teen wouldn't be swayed and pointedly looked away from the man.

Harry frowned as he stared at the bandages wrapped around the older boy's head. He looked between the man and the teen, then asked, "What happened?" Pointing at Kakashi's head to make sure his point got across.

Minato glanced down at the boy and replied concisely, "Kakashi was hurt." He returned his gaze to the older boy and stepped forward, frowning severely, "Kakashi, you owe it to Obito to at least attend his funeral."

Kakashi's jaw tensed once or twice, as though he was about to say something, but it took a while before he finally retorted tiredly, "So what? Just add that to everything else."

The man fought against his own irritation for a moment before adding, "He would want you there, Kakashi."

The teen looked at him doubtfully, but didn't say anything. Minato took that as progress.

"Kakashi... I understand how you feel, but—"

"You don't understand," Kakashi interrupted sharply, single eye glowering at the man for a moment before turning away again. Annoyed partially at his teacher's presumptions and partially at his own reaction.

Minato raised an eyebrow, irritated despite himself. He formed his own reply carefully and offered it calmly, "I understand more than you can imagine," he said seriously. "It wasn't your fault, Kakashi, stop blaming yourself for it."

Kakashi's look was challenging, "If I hadn't been such an idiot—if I'd just _listened_ to him the first time—nothing would have happened."

Minato met the challenge equally, "You don't know that," he pointed out bluntly, "Even if you'd gone after Rin right away, you don't know that the same thing wouldn't have happened. The truth is, Kakashi, every choice we makes leads to too many possible outcomes for the future to be predicted like that. You both did what you thought was right, it wasn't anybody's fault, what happened."

Kakashi looked far from convinced—he may have been able to hear a bit of how the man still blamed himself in his voice.

His teacher frowned, "Do you think Obito would want you to act this way?" He asked, "What was that he was always telling you...?"

"... To lighten up," Kakashi replied grudgingly, although the actual _words_ the older boy used were usually a bit more crass. Something about having a stick shoved up his—

"Well, then stop acting like you're responsible for every single thing in the world," Minato interrupted his thoughts, "You're not doing anybody any use laying around in a hospital bed all day. I know it's hard, but you have to stop brooding on this, Kakashi. The world goes on, even without..." he couldn't quite bring himself to say it, "I know it's hard to accept, but as shinobi we have to be able to deal with things like this."

Kakashi remained unmoving, although he was able to see the sense in what his teacher was saying. It was starting to make him feel a little guilty for taking so much time off—it had been nearly a week now. And so soon after his promotion, too. He must really seem like an ungrateful brat to the Hokage.

"You don't have to stay long," Minato added, "Just come for the ceremony, no one will mind if you disappear afterwards. It's only respectful to go to your teammate's funeral."

Kakashi released a heavy sigh that was far too old for his age and reluctantly sat up. "... Fine," he relented grudgingly, and looked up at his teacher with a narrowed eye, "Only for a little while."

The man smiled and nodded, knowing he wasn't going to get a better offer than that. "Good," he said, "Hurry up and get dressed, Kakashi, it's raining outside."

Kakashi shot a sardonic look towards the window and looked back at his teacher—the fogged glass was streaked with rain and dotted with water. The man grinned sheepishly.

* * *

The three of them left the hospital together, Harry stood close by Minato, underneath the large umbrella the man held, but Kakashi trailed behind them at a greater distance, hands shoved into his pockets and a general unhappy expression on the bit of his face exposed to the rain.

"You're going to get sick back there," Minato noted with a look over his shoulder at the young Jounin.

Kakashi ignored him and the three of them headed to the Memorial Stone, where Obito's name had only just been added the day before.

Harry still had no idea what was going on, and no one had bothered trying to explain it to him in the last four days. And the explanations he _had_ been given were far from enlightening. All he knew was that it had something to do with Obito.

He frowned slightly—the older boy was a little weird, but he was nice, too. At first he had acted as though he was annoyed to have him around, but after a little while he had been nice, and lately the two of them had been on pretty friendly terms. He idly wondered if the older boy was in trouble about something.

The courtyard was full when they reached it, and the service had already started. One of the senior members of the Uchiha clan was presiding—Kakashi had seen him before, but couldn't think of his name at the moment. Minato led the way to join the crowd inconspicuously, which was rather difficult as the majority of the gathering had jet black hair, making blonde and white stand out strikingly.

The words washed over Kakashi without him really hearing any of it. He stared blankly at the picture of his teammate—it looked completely unlike him.

The Uchiha in the photo had a serious expression on his face and was wearing one of the traditional, high-collared shirts of the Uchiha clan. His signature orange goggles were nowhere to be seen, and he wasn't even wearing his hitai-ate. From the traditional houses in the background, Kakashi guessed the photo had been taken in the Uchiha complex, most likely under the supervision of some of the senior members, which would explain his teammate's lack of expression.

It was weird to think of that idiot as being dead. Kakashi couldn't help the occasional thought that the other boy was just going to walk up to them, sheepishly giving some excuse for his absence. He had followed a trail of acorns in the forest, or he'd tried to catch a butterfly for some little girl. The young shinobi brutally crushed that part of him by bringing the memory of the other boy's bloody and broken body to the forefront of his mind. It made him feel a little sick.

They'd never liked each other—him and Obito. Since the first day they met and his teacher announced they were going to be teammates from then on, the two had nurtured a growing hatred of each other. They could hardly act civilized, let alone friendly, towards each other most of the time.

Still, he'd grown accustomed to him, and the boy's words from that day were the ones most prominent in Kakashi's mind. It seemed like, somehow, they had been friends before the end because the thought of never seeing him again made something clench painfully inside of him; it was different from the other times he'd lost teammates, less of disappointment and more of something stronger.

Kakashi didn't completely understand what it meant to be friends, but he thought it must be a lot like how they had worked together against those Rock-nin. How they had trusted each other to watch their backs at that time.

Harry watched the proceedings with a slight frown, fidgeting uncomfortably beside Minato. He tried to listen to what the man by the rock was saying, but he used a lot of big and strange words that Harry had never heard before and didn't understand. There were other things he could understand, though.

A picture of Obito stood at the front of the mass of people—Harry thought it was Obito at least, as that was one of the only words that came up frequently in the man's speech which he could recognize. Everyone around him was somber, and some were crying, although they appeared to be fighting against it. He'd seen Minato reach up to wipe tears from his own face once or twice.

As understanding slowly dawned on him, Harry's eyes widened in shock and horror. His hand squeezed tighter on Minato's as he forced back the questions he wanted to ask, knowing an outburst wouldn't be appropriate in the middle of what could only be some kind of funeral session. His throat had constricted, anyway, and he probably wouldn't have been able to get words out around the lump that had formed inside it.

But what had happened? Obito had always seemed very lively—for the short time he'd known him, at least. He was friendly and up-beat, the last type of person Harry would expect to just _die_. He hadn't been sick, had he? Had someone killed him? A second thought struck him—had it been them? What if it _had_ been them, and this was all his fault?

Harry's grip tightened further as shock and horror and guilt warred inside of him. His eyes burned as tears began to form, but his thoughts were too preoccupied to think of wiping them away.

Minato glanced down when Harry's grip on his hand became a bit uncomfortable and he smiled sadly to find the boy crying. Of course, Harry was no stranger to death, he knew, and he was a clever boy. It wasn't really very surprising that he'd figured it out. Still, he wished the boy would have been spared from this kind of pain, so soon after coming to live with them.

* * *

Harry stared dully down at his dinner. Minato sat beside him, eating slowly and without his usual vigor. Kakashi hadn't joined them—he'd disappeared again around the time the service ended, Harry wasn't sure exactly when.

Minato set down his third bowl after slurping up the last of the ramen base. He glanced down at Harry, smiling wistfully at the boy who wasn't even half through his first bowl.

"You okay, Harii-kun?" He asked after a moment.

Harry wasn't sure how to respond. He was confused more than anything else. He had been sure that the ceremony was because Obito was dead, but the thought of the older boy being dead was so weird that he was beginning to doubt he'd read the clues right. He didn't know how to ask after him, though, and he wasn't sure he wanted to.

"Obito is..." the boy looked up, eventually deciding that he really needed to know. Not knowing would be so much worse. "... Away...?"

The small, sad smile of the blonde's was very different from his normally cheerful grin. "That's right, Harii-kun," he confirmed softly, "Obito's... away. He's dead. He died to protect his friends and this village. That's... what a shinobi does."

Harry frowned slightly, trying and failing to make sense of what he'd just been told. At length he looked up again, "Why?" He asked, "Is..." His forehead wrinkled in thought, "Because me?"

Minato blinked in confusion, taking several seconds to work out what the boy's question was, "You mean Obito?"

Harry nodded.

If anything, the man looked more confused and surprised, "No, of course not! Why would you think that?"

The boy's frown deepened and he lowered his eyes guiltily, "... Mean people... come because me."

The man's eyes widened in realization, then his expression softened into another smile and he ruffled the boy's hair, "It's not your fault, Harii-kun," he assured the boy, "These were... different people. Enemies of Konoha, not enemies of Harii. Those "mean people," your enemies, won't be able to reach you here, Harii-kun."

Harry stared up at him, uncertain but hopeful as he struggled to understand, "... Really?"

Minato's smile widened a little, despite the pain in his heart, "Really," he confirmed.

* * *

Harry knelt on the couch, staring over its back and out the window after growing bored of practicing his penmanship. On the floor right beside him, Ryou-kun yawned, apparently just as bored as he.

Minato had left that morning on a mission, and Kakashi had only been around long enough to leave the dog with him before disappearing—he hadn't even stayed for breakfast.

The six-year-old finally turned around and got off the couch. Ryou-kun stirred from his daze and was at the boy's side almost immediately, tail wagging as the two of them headed to the door.

Outside, Harry paused and turned to the dog, frowning seriously, "Let's go to Kakashi-niisan," he told the dog.

Ryou-kun's tail wagged with even more enthusiasm, and he barked once before abruptly starting off down the street. With a smile, Harry followed.

The dog moved quickly through the busy village, winding his way through crowds and only pausing occasionally to see to it that Harry was still following him. Harry did his best to keep up with the dog, but lost sight of him on a few occasions and had to wait until Ryou-kun came back for him. Things moved much more smoothly as they started making their way through the outskirts of the village, and the forest beyond.

Harry was beginning to grow nervous of how far they were going when the dog doubled back again and brushed against his legs before darting forward once more. Harry quickly ran in the direction the dog had, not wanting to be left behind.

The boy stopped abruptly as he found a single dark eye staring at him unhappily. He couldn't help but stare at the older boy's covered left eye. No longer in bandages, Kakashi had moved his hitai-ate to cover the eye, and no one seemed willing to tell Harry why. The six-year-old wondered if it wasn't because he'd lost his eye and wanted to cover the empty socket.

Neither boy spoke for almost a minute, until, at last, Kakashi demanded, "What are you doing here?"

Harry hesitated, a little intimidated by the harsh language. He shifted uncomfortably and lowered his gaze, not looking at the older boy standing in front of him. "I..."

Ryou-kun barked and Kakashi's cool eye snapped to the dog, disapproval shining in his gaze. He turned back to Harry and crossed his arms, "Anyway, it's dangerous for someone like you to be out here. Go back to the apartment."

Harry frowned, half in bemusement and half in indignation. Kakashi sounded as though his question had been answered, but Harry knew he hadn't answered it, and now he was being sent away, just like that. "But...!"

Kakashi's eye narrowed and Harry found himself breaking off under the cold gaze. Ryou-kun barked again, several times. Kakashi shot the dog a glare and turned his back on the boy, sitting abruptly at the base of a tree.

"Fine," the teen grumbled, "Stay, I don't care."

Harry blinked, looking between Kakashi and the dog, Ryou-kun was making himself comfortable beside his master and sneaking his head into the older boy's lap. After a few seconds, the teen absently began scratching his dog's head.

Hesitantly, Harry inched closer and sat down himself; another awkward silence fell over the area.

Several long minutes passed in silence. Kakashi frowned across at the younger boy. He didn't want to be around him—it was why he'd left him back at the apartment with Ryou-kun. His eyes slid down to the dog, narrowed in irritation. He was going to have to have a few words with the dog after this.

He felt uncomfortable when Harry stared at his covered eye, as he often did. A lot of people did, too—Rin and sensei always made sure not to look at it—but it always felt worse when Harry did. Kakashi imagined the gaze was accusing him. That Harry could somehow see through the cloth and the metal and know what he'd done. And no matter how many times he told himself that he didn't care what Harry thought of him, it was unbearable to think of the younger boy hating him because of this.

Sighing quietly, the teen tore his mind away from guilty thoughts and returned his attention to his previous contemplation—the fact that he hadn't been able to hit a target dead center in more than a week.

Harry watched the older boy absently pull a kunai from a pouch fastened to his leg. Even though he'd come all the way out here looking for him, now the six-year-old wasn't sure what to do. The older boy seemed surrounded by a cold barrier, and Harry was convinced that even if he did say something, Kakashi wouldn't notice.

Kakashi's attention shifted to a tree a little ways away from the two boys and he let the kunai fly. It hit the trunk with a loud _thunk_ and the teen scowled. It was still off center, hitting to the left of where he was aiming.

In frustration, the teen took out another kunai and repeated the process, getting to his feet and concentrating a little more this time. The results were the same and Kakashi cursed. He'd been practicing all morning, and even though he'd gotten better, his aim was still off.

He pulled out a third kunai, this time aiming to the right of where he wanted to hit. He threw the kunai and it whizzed past the tree on the right, not even grazing the trunk. The boy growled in frustration—Ryou-kun's head tilted in interest.

Kakashi pulled out another kunai, so determined to get it right that he'd already forgotten about his audience. Until Harry distracted him.

The little boy was on his feet as well, and held a hand out to Kakashi. He blushed a little when the older boy looked at him with a single, narrowed eye, and timidly said, "I can."

Kakashi stared at him blankly for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. Wordlessly, he handed the kunai to the six-year-old, interested.

Harry took it and turned his attention to the tree Kakashi had been aiming at. He frowned in concentration, it was a little farther away than he'd been practicing at, but he thought he could probably do it. The boy bit his lower lip slightly, pulling back his arm and aiming carefully. He released the kunai and it soared towards the tree, hitting the trunk with a satisfying _thump_.

It was a little right of center, and low on the trunk, but it was better than he usually did. Harry looked up at Kakashi expectantly and the older boy raised an eyebrow, studying him and then the tree, and then Harry again.

At last, the teen gave a short nod, "Alright, that was pretty good," he allowed, then smirked, "But you've still got a ways to go, Harii-san."

In demonstration, Kakashi stood and pulled out another kunai. He gave his target a long hard look, then spun around to the right, releasing the kunai only after he'd gone in a complete circle. The blade shot out and stuck hard in the tree, hitting dead center. The teen smiled grimly under his mask.

Harry gaped at him, eyes shining with amazement, then he grinned and held out a hand, "Me now!"

Still smirking, the older boy handed over another kunai.

Harry immediately sobered and focused his attention again. He stared at the tree for a long moment before copying the older boy's move. He spun around as fast as he could and threw the kunai when the tree came back into view. The knife soared off into the forest, nowhere near his target.

Harry frowned.

Kakashi laughed. It was partly because of the ridiculous way his brother had attempted his move and partly because of the ridiculous pout he was now sporting; partly because of his own success moments before and partly because he'd been wound so tightly the last couple of days—months, even—that part of him just had to laugh to get some relief.

Being laughed at only made the six-year-old's frown deepen. He looked up at the older boy unhappily, "Kakashi-niisan!"

The teen's laughter was short-lived, but his smile lingered a little longer under his mask. It was bizarre, he thought as his usual mindset resumed itself. He wasn't the kind of person who would burst out laughing suddenly—that was his teacher. He was slightly annoyed, but couldn't bring himself to be too upset about it. It had felt good—not that he deserved to feel good.

Mastering himself, the older boy brought out another kunai and held it out to Harry, "Try again," he advised. When the boy reached out to take the kunai he added, "Slower."

Harry frowned, "Slower?"

The older boy nodded, "Don't do it so fast when you're just learning."

Slowly, Harry nodded in understanding and returned his attention to the tree. His turn was slower this time, and he paused at the end of it to be sure he was lined up properly before throwing. The kunai hit near the edge of the trunk, but it was a considerable improvement. He looked up at Kakashi with a grin.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "You need to keep practicing," he told Harry, "It takes you too long to aim."

Harry stared blankly at him.

"Aiming at things should be second nature to a shinobi," Kakashi lectured, "You should be able to do it right away and without even thinking about it, so you'll be ready at a moment's notice."

The younger boy continued to stare at him, trying to understand what he was being told. It was probably the most the older boy had ever spoken to him before.

Kakashi pulled out another kunai but held it at his side, looking down at Harry, "Just a glance in that direction should be enough to hit the target," he explained. Looking up, he let the kunai fly almost simultaneously, and was rewarded with the familiar thump. It was still a little off center, which annoyed him, but it was a work in progress.

"Faster?" Harry asked thoughtfully.

The older boy nodded, "Much faster," he confirmed, "But just with a regular throw." He smirked slightly again, "After you can aim it faster, maybe then I'll teach you the 360-throw."

Harry stared at him for a moment, then smiled, "Faster," he confirmed, and held out a hand expectantly.

Kakashi placed a kunai in his waiting hand and the two brothers set to work on their throwing skills.

* * *

Kakashi shot a single eyed glare up at his teacher, pointedly tugging his hitai-ate so it fit more snugly over his eye. Beside him, Harry looked just as uncomfortable, tugging at the collar of his brand new kimono—which he'd had to stand still for a whole _hour_ to get fitted with the day before—and fidgeting as they stood in front of the door.

The Yellow Flash smirked, mentally applauding himself for getting the two boys so dressed up. His smirk only made Kakashi glare harder for a moment before pointedly looking away.

"I want you both to be on your best behavior," Minato said, trying to keep the smugness from his voice and the atmosphere light, "That means no making faces at people behind your mask, Kakashi," he continued with mock seriousness—the teen scowled at the insinuation that he'd be so immature. "And, Harii-kun, try not to talk everyone's ears off." The younger boy frowned up at him without comprehension.

Minato turned to knock on the door and the three males waited until it was answered.

Rin grinned at the three of them—Minato thought it looked a bit painful, but pretended he didn't notice. When they'd made these plans, Obito was supposed to be with them. Even with his death more than three weeks past, it was still painful to be reminded of it so intimately. Minato knew it would continue to be painful for quite some time.

"Hello, sensei," the girl greeted politely, opening the door wider, "Welcome, Kakashi-kun, Harii-kun. Come in, please."

The three men stepped inside. Minato looked around the house with appreciation, "This is a nice place, Rin-chan," he complimented cheerfully, determined to make the best of the evening.

The girl's smile became a little more natural and she spoke with wry amusement, "Thank you, sensei, I'll let my parents know." Then she pointed out the guest slippers the three could use and asked that they not wear shoes in the house, explaining with an embarrassed flush that her mother was a little old-fashioned about things like that. They complied.

Rin led her guests into the living room, where her father and two older brothers were gathered. The two older teens stood next to each other with identical grins on their faces, apparently having just finished laughing at something. They could almost pass for twins, but one was a little taller, and the other's face was still a little rounded—they both had blue stripes on their cheeks, much like Rin's violet. The man was seated nearby them in an arm chair, but he rose when the three guests walked into the room. His hair was a much darker shade of brown than the three children's, and his shoulders a little wider, although the shorter boy looked to be quickly catching up in that aspect, and the man was only slightly taller than the other teen.

"Everyone," Rin started, addressing her guests, "This is my family—well, most of it, kaasan's in the kitchen. Anyway, that's my o-tousan," she said, waving a hand at the man.

He stepped forward with a friendly grin and held out a hand towards the Yellow Flash, "Tanaka Fumio," the man introduced himself, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Yellow Flash-sama."

Minato smiled politely in return and shook the proffered hand, "Thank you for having us, Fumio-san. This is my student, Kakashi-kun, and his brother, Harii-kun."

The man nodded politely to the boys and stepped back to allow Rin to continue with her introductions. The girl shot him a tolerant smile before returning her attention to her guests, "And these are my brothers," she concluded, "Ken-niisan."

The taller boy nodded with a short, "Hello."

"And Jin-niisan," Rin finished.

The second boy smiled and waved.

Harry blinked in surprise, "Niisan?"

Rin grinned widely, having hoped that he would pick up on that, "That's right," she confirmed, "Jin-niisan and Ken-niisan are my older brothers."

Harry looked between Rin, the two boys, and Kakashi, who appeared to be scowling under his mask, shoulders hunched. The older Hatake's eye was fixed pointedly at nothing in particular and didn't even acknowledge the younger boy's gaze.

"Harii-kun was raised abroad," Minato was explaining to the other members of the family, in case Rin hadn't said anything, "He's still learning the language, which is kind of awkward," he added, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Since none of us speak the language he was raised with."

Fumio nodded in understanding, "I see," he said thoughtfully, "Rin-chan told us she wanted us to meet her team, and that we could help out Harii-kun, but she didn't explain why." He smiled at the six-year-old, "It must be hard for him to be surrounded so suddenly by a foreign culture, with no one to explain to him what's going on."

Kakashi frowned at the man, "Harii-san is not stupid, Fumio-san," he said disapprovingly, "He doesn't need everything explained to him."

The man appeared a little taken aback, and he shot a quick glance at Minato for help, "My apologies, Kakashi-kun, I didn't mean to offend you, I only thought it might be a hard situation for Harii-kun..."

Rin shot her teammate an annoyed look, which he ignored. Minato grinned and smoothed it over, though—in a manner of speaking. "There's no need to apologize, Fumio-san," he said with bright sincerity, "Kakashi-kun knows you didn't imply any insult, he's trying to be unruly and childish since I made him dress properly for tonight."

Kakashi shot his teacher a sullen glare but didn't retort, seeing the craftily spun trap for him—anything he said to defend himself would only support his sensei's supposition.

* * *

Harry looked around the table with a small measure of wonder. Kakashi sat between himself and sensei, and the three Tanaka children sat across from them, with their parents at either end of the table. They laughed and talked and joked with their guests—Minato was involving himself animatedly, but Kakashi was keeping to himself and hadn't even touched his food. Harry ate when he remembered, but mostly he watched.

The atmosphere was warm and comfortable, like Harry sometimes saw through other people's windows back in Surrey. He felt a bit like he was intruding, but that didn't stop him from soaking in everything. Even the meals he had with sensei and Kakashi weren't so familial.

Jin snickered, "Remember that time when Rin got a hold of kaasan's senbon needles?" He questioned around a mouthful of food.

Ken groaned, "I don't think they want to hear about that, Jin."

Minato looked amused, "Rin's been working with senbon recently. She's quite good."

Jin nodded, still grinning, "She's always been good. I think she was five, at the time, and Ken must have been twelve—he'd just made Chuunin. Anyway, Rin got a hold of kaasan's senbon, like I said, and Ken was trying to get them back, so Rin threw them at him…" the teen had to pause to laugh, "Anyway, one of them hit the pressure point in his neck and had him paralyzed for a week! It was great—really put a dent in his ego, to get hospitalized by his baby sister right after his promotion."

The other two siblings were flushing in embarrassment at their brother's retelling. Ken was obviously the more flustered of the two, feeling the need to defend himself, "Who would think a five-year-old could throw well enough to do any damage? Besides, Jin, you're forgetting your part in the story."

Jin looked alarmed at the prospect of this addition but it was his father who spoke up, laughing, "Jin thought Rin had killed their big brother," he supplied, "So, to keep her from getting in trouble, he hid Ken and pretended they hadn't seen him. It was almost two hours before we finally got him to the hospital, and by then he almost _was_ dead."

His wife sighed, "That's when we decided to send Rin-chan to the Academy. We had been planning to wait another year, but we decided if she was going to be playing with weapons anyway, she ought to be taught how to use them properly, even if she was only five."

"Only five?" Kakashi repeated, sounding annoyed and looking bored, "I was a Genin already by then."

His comment elicited another awkward silence around the table.

Minato coughed to break the uncomfortable atmosphere and smiled, "Harii-kun has been learning to throw kunai. He's getting pretty good."

Fumio jumped on the change of subject with equal enthusiasm, "Really? That's great, Harii-kun!" He told the small boy with a grin, "Is he in the Academy, then?"

"Not yet," Minato answered, "He's been coming to a lot of our practices, though, so he's picked up quite a few things. Maybe he'll go next year."

"He still isn't fluent in our language, o-tousan," Rin reminded her father, "So he wouldn't understand much at the Academy right now."

Minato grinned, "He's getting a lot better at that, too, though," he added, "He didn't know anything when he first came here—almost three months ago, I think. Kakashi-kun helps him out with his vocabulary a lot, and he's even learning how to write and read, now!"

"So, you're helping to teach him, Kakashi-kun?" The older of Rin's brothers asked amiably, turning to drag the young Jounin into polite conversation, "That's good—us older brothers have to look after the younger ones, ne?"

Kakashi didn't even bother look at him.

Jin scowled at his brother, "You never look after _me_," he commented sourly, "You'd always beat me with something instead of helping me."

"I was helping you learn to be humble," Ken returned haughtily.

* * *

The evening seemed to crawl by. Most of the conversation was kept purposefully light-hearted, broken by the awkward silences the elder Hatake seemed fond of creating. When it was finally over Harry was left with a lot to think about. He didn't know a lot about families, but he knew enough from television to recognize one when he saw it, and the evening had shed a lot of light on some of the things he hadn't understood.

For example, Rin had called her older brothers 'niisan' just like he called Kakashi. She called her father 'o-tousan' and her mother 'o-kaasan.' Harry wasn't stupid, he could put the clues together. All this time his relatives had been telling him that his parents were dead when they'd really been here, living with his brother.

It still didn't explain some things, though, and it brought about a whole new set of questions to light. Where were his parents now? Why did people only mention his father and not his mother? Why hadn't Kakashi said anything? And, most importantly, why had he been left behind with the Dursleys?

The problem was that even though he was understanding some things better, he still didn't have a lot of skill at putting his thoughts into words the others could understand. It was a very different language they spoke, compared to English, and the six-year-old was getting quite fed up with it all.


	12. Monsters Don't Grieve

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Harry Potter, or Thanksgiving day... which isn't today anyway, so I don't know why I'm mentioning it.

You'd all laugh at me if you realized how long it took me to figure out why you were all so sure Harry was going to 'blow up' soon. Either my experience with kids, which I like to think is pretty wide for someone my age, isn't as good as I thought it was, or you're all thinking of Harry as a normal teenage boy... That is, what I'm trying to say is, kids change moods about as quickly as the weather in Minnesota. And if you ever lived in Minnesota, you know it can go from below freezing to a balmy 63 F in a matter of hours. Annoying. But my point is, teenagers, like the Harry we all know and love in the series, let things build up inside of them until they boil over. Little kids are more likely to simply forget and move on. They're very resilient that way.

But that's not what I planned to talk about here. Because I planned to tell you all two things. One, Rin's birthday (which takes place in this chapter) is November 15. Two, Konoha is in the Fire Country (ha ha, you all knew that). From what I've _seen_ of Naruto, place names tend to reflect upon the characteristics of the place they're named for. I have also never seen any hint of "fall" or "winter" (as most of us think of them) happen in Konoha. I have chosen to interpret this as meaning Fire Country is a rather temperate place ranging from "warm" to "hot" to "_really _hot" all year. Of course, there also has to be a good deal of rain to keep the plant life healthy. This may or may not be correct, just thought I'd warn you that there won't be a lot in the way of "seasons" in this story. It's deliberate.

Thanks for the reviews, everyone, and please enjoy this timely chapter. (I only barely got it up today, what with Thanksgiving gatherings with my family yesterday and today...)

Chapter 12 – Monsters Don't Grieve

Boy and dark lord stared at each other over the body of the fallen woman. Harry's dark green eyes were bright with interest and curiosity, with no understanding of what was going on. Voldemort's dark, bloodshot eyes were equally bright with anticipation and excitement, seeing his reign open before him.

The man took a few steps forward and raised his wand, leveling it with the curious boy's head, a cruel smile twisting his lips. Harry looked down at his mother, frowning slightly as she lay still on the ground.

"Hello, Harry," the dark lord hissed pleasantly, drawing the boy's eyes again. Suddenly, the pleasant look disappeared from his face and he stretched his wand towards the boy. His features distorted in anger and hatred as he gave the wand a tiny flick, "Avada Kedavra!"

Harry stared briefly at the green light that exploded from the man's wand, then looked back at his hate filled face, suddenly afraid with this change of expression. Voldemort only smiled more cruelly as the boy's expression shifted from curiosity to fear.

The curse hit and pain flared to life in every one of the infant's cells. The boy let out a wail, but instead of falling dead his body began to glow. Voldemort's lips curled down in an ugly frown as he stared at the Potter infant.

Energy engulfed the boy in flames of white, converging at the very spot where his spell was striking. White energy met green, shielding the child as though it were alive and could sense the threat to its master.

Voldemort's confusion turned to horror as the white energy swelled, brighter and fiercer at the boy's forehead. The two forces seemed to be in tension, struggling against each other.

Then, quite suddenly, the white energy exploded and the green beam of light ricocheted away from it, back towards its caster. Voldemort's eyes widened in horror and anger.

The spell struck, Voldemort still staring at the infant that was supposed to be dead. The white energy disappeared as suddenly as it had flared up and the boy was left crying, blood smeared on his forehead, but very much alive.

The dark wizard barely had the time to take in as much before pain engulfed his senses and he was torn from his body by the curse of his own casting. Still, his awareness did not end there.

Everything became distorted around him, shapes indistinct and noises somehow more piercing, light more blinding. Voldemort didn't know what was happening, exactly, but he understood enough to know he had been defeated, somehow.

As if reacting to his will, his consciousness flew, fleeing away from that place and that unnatural child. He hated and desired nothing more than to kill the boy, but there was nothing he could do for now. He retreated with the single thought of returning in mind. Bide his time and stoke his power until he could secure his victory.

Harry was extremely disappointed when his cries didn't wake his mother, and his father didn't come running to see what was wrong. He cried for some time, waiting for either of his parents to bend over and pick him up in their loving embrace.

But no one came and the exhausted infant soon fell asleep.

* * *

Minato and the boys turned up for training only to find Rin already at the appointed meeting place. The girl sat on the ground, crying. She tried to stop as she noticed them, wiping her eyes and sniffling a few times, but the waterworks simply continued. 

As Minato stared awkwardly and tried to think of what he should do, Kakashi stiffened by his side and Harry stared blatantly. First item of business—Minato turned to the boys, voice low, "Kakashi, can you take Harii-kun somewhere?"

The young Jounin nodded, grabbing Harry's arm to drag him from the clearing, and only presenting a quiet command of, "Let's go," after they were back in the trees.

The blonde then turned and reluctantly approached his student. It was still awkward, but he'd gotten a little better at dealing with tears since Harry had come to stay with them. He crouched at the girl's side and silently rubbed the young teen's back until her sobs began to slow.

"I-I'm sorry, sensei," the girl sobbed, still rubbing at her eyes and trying to calm herself down, "I—it just won't s-stop..."

"Sh, it's alright," the man assured the girl, suspecting the sudden bout of grief had been triggered by Obito's absence at dinner the preceding night.

Eventually Rin's crying subsided until she was left with a bit of a runny nose, puffy, red-rimmed eyes, and a blush of embarrassment on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, sensei," she apologized again, head lowered so she wouldn't have to look at him, "I... don't know why it hit me here all of a sudden..."

"It's alright, Rin," Minato assured her again, "It's okay to cry, sometimes. This is a hard time for you and Kakashi..."

"And you, sensei," the girl added observantly, looking up at the man and still sniffling a little.

The man was quiet, but his expression confirmed her assumption.

"Did you..." Rin trailed off, momentarily losing her nerve. After several long seconds she tried again, "Did you ever lose a teammate, sensei?"

Minato remained silent for almost a minute before he answered, "I've lost several in my time... It can be hard to keep going afterwards—especially at first... hard to understand how the world can keep moving forward without them."

His haunted look vanished as he smiled at the girl, a little melancholy clinging to the expression, "But you have to go on, anyway. For yourself, and for them, and for all the other people that you care about. The pain will lessen with time, Rin, and you may even come out stronger for it."

The girl remained thoughtfully silent for a few minutes before standing. Minato watched her take a few steps, then turn back to him.

"I'm going to go wash my face," she said, an embarrassed blush still coloring her cheeks as she pointed in the direction of a nearby stream.

Minato smiled, standing as well, "I'll see if I can track down Kakashi and Harii."

Rin returned his smile with a weak, watery one of her own before turning towards the stream again. Minato looked around, scratching the back of his head in thought, then leaped into the trees after his missing wards.

* * *

Harry shifted uncomfortably next to the older boy, looking around restlessly. Beside him, Kakashi was staring listlessly at one particular spot on the stone in front of him, face disturbingly blank. 

"Kakashi-niisan," Harry broke the silence with a whisper, a little afraid to speak louder in this place. He recognized the stone they stood in front of—it was the same one the funeral had taken place at almost two weeks ago.

The older boy didn't respond and Harry followed his gaze to the rock, and the lines carved across it. With some difficulty he managed to decipher the first character.

"Uuuuu...chiii..." The boy's face screwed up with thought as he pronounced each character with unnatural slowness, "Haaa..." His eyes widened as he thought about what he'd read, "Uchiha." That was Obito's other name—he'd heard it a lot during the funeral service.

"Uchiha... Obito..." Kakashi's voice was quiet and rough and Harry's eyes snapped up to look at him rather than the stone, "This... this is the Memorial Stone," he explained quietly, "The place where dead heroes have their names carved."

"The... Memorial Stone...?" Harry repeated uncertainly, not really understanding the whole of Kakashi's explanation, but at least recognizing the name of a place when he heard it.

Kakashi didn't respond, but Harry was sure if he'd said it wrong he would have been corrected. He looked back at the words he'd been considering earlier, lowering his eyes to the rest of the name.

The six-year-old tentatively ran a finger down the text as he read out loud, "Uchiha Obito." He looked back at his brother for confirmation, only to be surprised at the moisture in the other boy's eyes. Quickly, Harry looked away again, heart pounding in his chest.

Was _Kakashi_ crying?! Kakashi, who had looked at that dead body in the woods without so much as blinking? Kakashi, who took down that mean man who'd attacked them without ever losing that calm, cool expression? He hadn't even cried during the funeral—Harry had checked.

A long time seemed to pass and Harry didn't dare look back at Kakashi again, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. It wasn't like he'd never seen people cry before—even adults, like his aunt and uncle, cried sometimes. But Kakashi was such an unlikely person for him to find crying that it completely shocked him. That, and the older boy always kept such a cool façade that when it broke Harry felt as though he'd seen something he wasn't supposed to.

"There you two are," a voice said behind them and Harry forgot about not turning around. Minato was walking towards them from the nearby forest, the smile on his face looking a little forced. Kakashi, Harry was relieved to notice as he caught a glance of him out of the corner of his eye, didn't look at all as though he'd been crying much.

"We'll try to get in a little training before lunch, still," the man continued, not waiting for either boy to acknowledge him, "Kakashi, I want to see how you're coming along with your aim."

The teen turned away from the stone and his voice was as calm as usual, if a little quiet, as he replied, "It's getting a lot better. I think I'm up to 70 to 80 percent of normal, now."

The man grinned, "Well, let's go." Kakashi obediently left the clearing, heading back towards the training grounds while Harry just stared after him, wondering if he'd just imagined the water he'd seen in his brother's eyes.

"Harii-kun," Minato prompted, looking a little concerned when he didn't follow, "Is something wrong?"

"... It's fine," Harry replied absently, before moving to catch up with the other two. There was still a lot he didn't understand about these people and this place, but he was used to not understanding things. He'd learn, eventually.

* * *

They broke for lunch a little over an hour later. Rin went home while Minato and the boys went to the ramen stand, as usual. 

"I think you're on the right track, Kakashi," the man was saying over his noodles, "You know what you need to do intellectually, it's only a matter of training your body to react the way you want it to. Get as much training in as you can and before you know it you'll be back at your usual level."

Kakashi nodded absently.

"Harii-kun," the man added, "After lunch I think we should start working on your Taijutsu form. Most students have some level of experience with Taijutsu when they enter the Academy, and since you'll be entering a little late, it would be especially good for you to have a strong foundation."

Harry didn't respond, not really knowing what the man was talking about, and the three continued to eat in silence.

"Where is o-tousan?" Harry asked several minutes later. He thought he should probably let the subject rest for now, everyone was still really upset because of Obito's death, but he couldn't get the question out of his mind.

Minato just about choked on his lunch and Kakashi's chopsticks stilled immediately.

"Wh-what?" The man spluttered.

Harry frowned—he thought he'd said it right. Thinking a little more carefully, he repeated, "Where is o-tousan?"

The blonde rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "Mou… That is, Harii-kun… your dad…"

Kakashi abruptly stood, leaving his ramen half empty.

"Kakashi?" Minato called after him with concern.

"I'll see you on the training grounds, sensei," Kakashi said without turning towards him, "Like you said, I need to practice more."

Minato sighed as the boy lost himself in the crowded streets. He turned his attention back to a confused Harry and smiled sadly, imagining that he should have expected the question, "Harii-kun… your father… he's dead. He's been dead for about six years."

"Dead…?" Harry repeated uncertainly. His face fell, "Like Obito…" Absently, he wondered if his father's name was on that stone, too, like Obito's. He didn't notice any _Hatake_, but he hadn't really been looking, either.

The man nodded, his eyes far away at the mention of his student. It took several long minutes for him to reply, "I'm sorry you never met him, Harii."

Harry had a sinking feeling that his mother was also dead. Maybe the Dursleys had been telling him the truth, after all.

Minato took a big drink of his broth and set the empty bowl down. He forced his other thoughts aside and smiled at Harry, "We should give Kakashi a little time to himself. Why don't we swing by to pick up Rin and walk around town a bit?"

Following his example, Harry took one last drink of his soup and slipped off his stool. Minato took a glance at the two half empty bowls and shook his head in exasperation.

"You two," he sighed, "I'm losing money on you. If you'd only eat a bit more…"

* * *

Kakashi and Harry weren't really talking when Rin's birthday came around, almost two weeks later. With as much time as the Jounin spent training and going on missions, though, it was never really obvious, and when he was forced into interaction with his brother, he continued to act painfully polite. 

Rin's birthday was a simpler affair than Kakashi's had been. Harry gathered that the actual day of the celebration was taking place several days after the actual anniversary of her birth—which was understandable since the day of the celebration also happened to be the day after the three of them had returned from a mission.

There really wasn't much of a party, either. The mood started out rather heavy, the happy event shadowed by Obito's still recent death, making this the first birthday they had celebrated without their fourth team member. Over the course of lunch—which was at a restaurant that was considerably nicer than the ramen stand they usually frequented—things gradually lightened.

The meal was served in several small dishes, which confused Harry initially, until he'd realized that the multiple dishes were all his. He still found the situation very strange, wondering why they didn't just serve everything in one big plate.

Afterwards, they went to a small pool off the river. Rin and Minato stripped down to as little they could possibly wear without being outright offending. Even Kakashi removed his outermost layer of clothes—which, apparently, didn't include his mask or hitai-ate.

"Come on, Harii-kun," Minato invited cheerfully, noticing that the six-year-old wasn't doing much more than stare, "Don't you like swimming?"

"Swimming...?" Harry echoed uncertainly, looking at the man and then at the two teens at the water's edge.

Rin was crouched down, feeling the water while Kakashi watched, arms crossed over his pale chest self-consciously. The girl smiled up at her teammate, "It feels good," she announced, standing up.

"Let's go, Harii-kun, it'll be fun!" The man cajoled.

Harry looked at him hesitantly again before reluctantly moving to pull off his shirt and pants, slipping out of his sandals.

Minato looked the six-year-old over unobtrusively as he undressed—he was still very small for his age, but he was slowly starting to put on a little weight, and no longer looked so malnourished. Not for the first time, the man found himself wondering what kind of life the boy had led before he came to live with them—most of the scars could be explained by the attack on his family, but his short stature and thinness could only be from extended neglect. He'd come to the conclusion that Harry's family had either been poor or abusive—the man liked to think it was the former.

He grinned when the boy finished and held out a hand, "Ready?" He'd come a long way in two and a half months.

Harry nodded and took his hand, allowing the man to lead him to the water's side. Minato let the boy hang back as he dropped into the water, already up to his thighs at the edge. Rin was already further in, laughing at some comment Kakashi must have made as he crouched on the water surface beside her.

Crouching down next to the water to tentatively stick a toe in it, Harry followed the man's line of sight and let out a squawk of surprise, gaping at the sight of the older boy somehow standing on the water surface instead of falling in._ That_, he knew, was _not_ natural.

"What's that?!" He asked in disbelief, pointing.

Minato laughed and ruffled Harry's hair as Kakashi frowned over at them, "That's chakra," the man explained. He climbed back out of the water and demonstrated, concentrating his chakra to his feet as Harry watched, wide-eyed, then stepped out onto the surface of the water he'd been knee deep in before. It was an effortless exercise for the blonde and he turned around to grin at Harry, "See?"

Harry continued to stare at him for a moment, then jumped to his feet, eyes alight with excitement, "Me, too!" He decided, clumsily attempting to put his hands together in the same seal the man had used to concentrate his chakra.

"Like this, Harii-kun," Minato offered, demonstrating it again with his hands as he crouched on the water's surface to decrease the height difference between them.

"Sensei... are you sure that's a good idea?" Rin asked worriedly, drifting a little closer and watching the two with interest.

"Why not?" The blonde shrugged, "Academy students his age learn how to concentrate their chakra."

Rin didn't look convinced—Harry wasn't an Academy student and didn't even really know what chakra was. Besides, water-walking was unarguably a Genin-level technique.

Harry looked at the man's hands studiously and managed to get his own fingers in the same shape, then he tried to step out on the water. Minato caught him before he could fall, chuckling as he put him back on the shore.

"No, no, no, you have to concentrate your chakra, Harii-kun," he corrected, "You can't just make the seal and expect it to work."

Harry stared at him with a small, bemused frown.

The man climbed out of the water and stood beside him again, "Alright, seal first," he started, forming the seal and waiting for Harry to copy it.

"Next, chakra," Minato continued, concentrating chakra to his feet, enough of it to create a visible blue aura.

Harry stared in surprise and looked down at his own feet, which weren't glowing at all. He frowned in confusion.

"_Then_ you can step out on the water," Minato finished, doing so and standing easily on the water's surface.

Harry looked from the man down to his own non-glowing feet, then back up. He sighed and dropped his hands—how was he supposed to make his _feet_ _glow_? That was impossible! "I can't," he admitted dejectedly.

Minato reached down to ruffle his hair, "You'll get it eventually, Harii-kun," he assured the boy, "It just takes lots of practice."

In the meantime, Rin swam over and held a hand out to Harry, "Come on, Harii-kun, it's just as fun down in the water."

Harry gave Minato and Kakashi one last long look before taking Rin's hand and allowing her to help him down into the water, which was already nearly up to his chest even near the edge.

"Have you ever been swimming before, Harii-kun?" Rin asked in amusement as the boy looked around with wonder at the experience.

It was a lot like taking a bath, but a lot different, too, Harry thought.

"Try this," Rin added, pushing off and floating on her back for a moment.

Harry hesitantly started leaning back to do so and Rin righted herself, supporting his back with a hand until he was stretched out horizontally, then pulling back a little to allow him to float on his own. Harry grinned.

"Kick your feet," Rin added.

Whether he understood or just kicked out of instinct, Harry found himself being propelled slowly across the surface of the water. For a moment he panicked and sat up abruptly, only to find that he'd lost buoyancy as he did. Rin caught him before he could submerge completely, and she helped him back to where he started.

"That was good, Harii-kun," the girl said with amusement.

As they continued with their impromptu swimming lesson, Kakashi approached his teacher. The teen frowned as his teacher watched the other two with a fond smile. Abruptly, he skidded his foot along the water, sending a wave of water splashing at the senior Jounin.

"Hey!" Minato yelped, spinning around.

A small smirk quirked under Kakashi's mask, "Sensei, fight me."

"Now?" The man asked.

The boy nodded.

"Kakashi, we're supposed to be celebrating Rin-chan's birthday," Minato pointed out, one eyebrow raised.

Kakashi shrugged, "She's with Harii-san."

"A fight, huh?" the man mused, "Right here on the river."

Kakashi nodded again, "We haven't done that in a while."

After several long seconds, Minato smirked, slouching back with his hands in his pockets, "Yeah, alright."

Kakashi's smirk grew a little, "Alright."

"Ready? Go!" They both flashed into motion, their chakra under constant control as they were forced to jump and slide and dodge on the ever-changing viscosity of the water.

"Rules...!" The man shouted in a question after their first conflict—kunai against kunai in midair.

"No Ninjutsu, just Taijutsu," Kakashi returned a second later as he twisted around a handful of shuriken his teacher threw. It was what he needed the most work on, after all.

"Right," the man conveyed his understanding, as Kakashi slashed at him, first from the right, then dancing around to slash again at his back. Minato skillfully blocked both blows and Kakashi jumped back when he tried to return the favor.

"Don't go easy on me, sensei," Kakashi added firmly.

The man grinned, "I wouldn't dream of it," he assured his student, already moving in for another attack.

By then their antics had attracted the attention of Harry and Rin. The girl rolled her eyes, "Those two can't go one week without sparring," she sighed, "Look at them showing off like that..."

Harry smiled vaguely, not sure what she was talking about, but impressed at the abilities his brother—his _brother_, something he still couldn't stop being amazed at—and the man were displaying.

It was completely unnatural, two people fighting on water as if it were as solid as the ground, water spraying every time they touched and skidded. His aunt and uncle would have hated it, but Harry thought it was awesome. He didn't know _how_ they did it, and doubted _he'd_ ever be able to do anything like that—but, after all, who knew? His brother could do it, so maybe he could, too.

* * *

Minato disappeared for two weeks on end after that. Kakashi dragged Harry with him for a brief training period every morning while his teacher was gone, then he disappeared for the rest of the day. Harry wasn't sure if he went on missions during that time or if he was somewhere in the village or surrounding forests—even when they trained together, they hardly spoke. 

When Minato finally returned Harry hadn't seen Kakashi for the last three days. So it was surprising when he found himself being woken up early the next morning by the older boy.

It was early enough that the sun had yet to rise, but Harry reluctantly crawled out of bed and got dressed at Kakashi's quiet insistence. Instead of going out into the main room, however, Kakashi went to the open window and impatiently directed the boy onto his back. Confused, curious, and tired, Harry did as he was beckoned.

Kakashi leapt lightly out the window and landed on the vertical face of the building across the street. Harry's grip abruptly tightened as the surprising move startled him to full wakefulness and the other boy sped up the wall unerringly to the roof. It was still dark as they made their way to the edge of the village via the rooftops, and the sun was only just beginning to peak over the horizon as Kakashi jumped back down to street level and let Harry down to walk beside him.

Harry stared around at the empty streets. There were high walls on both sides, occasionally broken by large gates, and beyond the boy could see large, low buildings like none he'd ever seen in Surrey.

They continued until even these unusual manors began thinning, large forests protruding from behind the walls. Kakashi led the way to a gate at last. He made a seal with his hands and pressed one hand to the old gate. It pushed open easily.

Inside stood another large manor in the style of the others he'd seen around. There were several buildings on either side of the path leading up to the large building, but all of them looked to be in disrepair: cold, unkempt, and empty.

Kakashi ignored them. He led the way swiftly across the grounds and into a small forest behind the manor. They continued through that for quite a while until the trees began to thin and finally broke into a clearing.

Harry stopped and stared.

He'd never been to a graveyard before but he had seen pictures and knew that was what this was. There were dozens and dozens of stones standing in the yard. Some had ornately carved statues towering over them and some were no more than small rectangular markers or crosses.

"Harii-san," Kakashi prompted, pausing on the path to look back at him.

Licking his lips nervously, Harry followed. They made their way through rows of tombstones until the stones around them began looking a little newer, like they'd been carved in the last decade or two, rather than dozens of years before. Then, at last, they stopped.

Kakashi looked at one pair of stones in particular and Harry followed his gaze. The inscriptions were in kana and Harry couldn't make out much, but one set of characters he did recognize.

"Hatake!" The boy read in surprise, remembering to associate the name with himself and Kakashi.

The teen didn't respond for almost a minute, then he nodded, still staring at the stone, "Hatake Sakumo," he read. He hesitated, glancing at Harry, and added quietly, "O-tousan."

Harry looked at the marker a second time, confused emotions roiling inside of him. He'd always been told his parents were dead, but seeing grave markers made it all the more real. He didn't—couldn't—question the fact that the name read 'Hatake Sakumo' instead of 'James Potter,' even though he desperately wanted to. What connection was there between the two names? Were the two names the same man, or was there some other story behind them?

He wondered at it silently—the Dursleys had only mentioned his father once or twice when he asked. James Potter, they had called him, a deadbeat and a bum and a loser and a freak. He had died and abandoned Harry to their mercy when he was only a little baby. But they'd never mentioned anything about this—any of this! They'd lied to him about a lot of things, it seemed.

"O-tousan…" The six-year-old repeated softly, wondering what the man had been like. Even more softly, he repeated in English, "Dad…" Something inside of him hurt at the word, the acknowledgment that buried somewhere beneath him lay the father he never knew but had always desperately wanted.

Harry wasn't sure how long they stood there together, but neither spoke again until Kakashi finally said it was time to go back. The sun was fully risen and the sky a pale blue of morning. People were beginning to take to the streets with their business and a few shops were even opening for early morning customers.

Kakashi took Harry back up to their apartment and they entered through the small window again before joining Minato for breakfast.

Harry was sure the man knew what they'd been up to from the way he looked at them, or at least he knew that they'd been out, but he didn't say anything. The day continued from there as usual, with training and meeting Rin, like they hadn't spent the morning at a graveyard at all. But Harry couldn't keep his thoughts off of their early morning excursion, and he spent the rest of the day wondering what Hatake Sakumo had been like and making up personalities for him to suit his curiosity.

* * *

In his mind, Harry imagined that a trip to a graveyard to visit dead parents might bring two siblings closer together. In reality, Harry found it couldn't have been further from the truth. If anything, Kakashi was avoiding him now more than ever. It helped, of course, that he started going on long missions again a few days later. 

Sensei had talked to him a bit before they left—something about his father, he thought. It had sounded very serious and the man had looked a little sad as he spoke, so Harry hadn't interrupted to let him know that he really couldn't understand much of what he was saying.

Kushina was over again today—this time she had a sprained ankle wrapped in bandages and elevated on the table next to Harry's book. Harry was laboriously sounding out short words that the woman pointed out for him, when she wasn't too distracted by glaring at her crutches as though they'd insulted her.

"Ne, Harii," the woman said at last, interrupting the six-year-old in the middle of a particularly frustrating word, "Let's go get lunch now." She smiled at him and struggled to get her leg off the table without hurting it further.

Eventually, she managed to get to her feet, leaning on her crutches as the boy finished putting away his things. Harry liked the red-haired woman—she taught him a lot, but they didn't study all the time, either. Kushina didn't like to sit inside all day, and could usually only keep still for a few hours in the morning before abruptly calling an end to their lessons. This suited the six-year-old just fine, as a few hours of studying was more than enough to give him a headache.

Kushina led the way to the door, pausing to struggle for an awkward moment to get her crutches to cooperate. Harry took the opportunity to slip in front of her and open the door, allowing the woman more ease to exit. She smiled her thanks and ruffled his messy white hair before leading the way out again, leaving it to Harry to close the door and lock up after himself.

It didn't feel like autumn to Harry, even though he knew very well that by now it _must_ be autumn. The leaves on the trees were still as green as ever, and the air was still hot, though not as unbearably as it had been earlier in the year. The air had turned drier, too, and cool winds from the North offering occasional respites from the dry heat.

"Mm… After lunch, I'll take you to see the Hokage Monument," the woman decided. She grinned down at the boy by her side, "You can see it from just about anywhere in the village, of course," she said, "But we'll go all the way to the top—you can see the whole village from up there! You'll love that!"

Harry smiled back bemusedly, not entirely sure he'd understood her correctly. Had she meant they'd go to the _top_ of the mountain where the Hokage faces were carved? He frowned up at the looming faces of stone—surely no one could actually go _that_ high.

"And then… hmm… maybe we can go to the park after," Kushina mused.

"Yeah!" Harry agreed enthusiastically—he loved going to the park. The other kids were all nice—well, maybe not _all_ of them, but most of them were nice enough—and he enjoyed playing some of the games he'd only been able to watch back in Surrey.

* * *

Harry finished his lunch quickly, anticipating a fun afternoon, and soon the two were approaching the foot of the Hokage's Monument, Kushina grumbling at her crutches the whole way. Harry walked along side her, looking around at everything with wide eyes. He grinned as he spotted a familiar person sitting on one of the benches underneath the towering, stone monument. 

"Minoji!" He called out enthusiastically, running up to where the younger boy, one of his playmates from the park, was sitting with a juice box.

The boy looked up at his call, and then smiled back, waving, "Konichiwa, Harii!"

Kushina approached behind him and smiled over Harry's shoulder at the young boy and his older, female counterpart, "Hello, Minoji-kun, Minoko-kun."

The teenage girl had dark brown hair similar to her brother's, held back in a spiky ponytail, and dark lines running back to her hair from both of her eyes. She smiled and gave the woman a slight bow, "Good afternoon, Kushina-san. You've met my little brother?"

"Harii-kun plays with him at the park sometimes," Kushina confirmed with a nod.

"Harii!" Minoji put in, grabbing the boy's attention. He'd set down his juice box and stood, and now he grabbed his sister's hand, "This is my big sister, Minoko-neesan!"

Harry blinked, frowned up at the girl, then frowned at Minoji again in confusion, "Niisan?" He repeated incredulously.

The dark haired boy giggled and shook his head, "No, no, not o-niisan! N_ee_san! O-_nee_san!"

Harry looked at the other boy as though he were crazy—they both sounded the same to him.

Smirking in amusement, Kushina intervened, "It's _nee_, Harii-kun, not _nii_. Can you hear the difference?"

Harry frowned, listening carefully as she repeated them once more. He could—sort of. The boy nodded and carefully pronounced, "_Nee_san...?"

Minoji laughed again and nodded, "Right!" He looked up at his sister and told her confidently, "Harii's not from Konoha, so he doesn't know how to talk, even though he's older than me."

The two females laughed while the boys looked on bemusedly, wondering what was so funny.

"Well? Are you two busy?" Kushina asked after a moment, still grinning, "Harii-chan and I were just going to climb to the top of the monument. You can come if you like."

"Yeah, yeah!" Minoji agreed enthusiastically. He looked up at his sister beseechingly, "Can we, neesan? Please?"

Minoko smiled apologetically, "Thanks," she told the older woman, "But Minoji has got a dentist appointment in an hour, so we'll have to pass today."

The boy frowned unhappily. "Why can't we pass on the dentist appointment today, instead?" He asked grumpily.

Minoko ruffled his hair affectionately, "You know we can't do that, Minoji-chan, dentist appointments need to be scheduled in advance. You can play with Harii-kun tomorrow."

The boy grumped, but relented bitterly, sticking his tongue out at his sister when she turned back to Kushina.

The girl looked at the woman with concern, "Are you sure it's alright, Kushina-san?" She asked, "With your injuries?"

"It's just a sprained ankle," Kushina shrugged, "Besides, Harii doesn't know chakra control, yet, so we'll be using the stairs."

Minoko didn't look entirely convinced, but she nodded, "Okay… be careful, Kushina-san. We'll be down here for a while, still, so if you need help or anything let us know… Minoji can find his own way to the dentist if he has to," she looked at the boy—who hastily pulled his tongue back in—and smiled, "Can't you, Minoji-chan?"

"I guess," Minoji agreed reluctantly.

Kushina just rolled her eyes, grinning, "Now, now, I'm a big ninja," she noted playfully, "I think I can take care of myself, Minoko-kun."

The girl blushed a little. "Still," she mumbled, "You should be careful when you're injured, Kushina-san."

"I'll keep that in mind," Kushina promised, patting the girl on her head and then ruffling her still sulking brother's spiky hair. She smiled at Harry, "Ready to go?"

The boy nodded and followed as she began to move away. He looked over his shoulder and waved to Minoji as they left, "Bye, Minoji! Bye, Minoko-neesan!"

"Goodbye, Harii!" Minoji shouted after him loudly, "I wish I could come with you but my mean sister won't let me!"

Minoko rolled her eyes and ruffled the little brat's hair before calling out her own goodbye to the pair.

* * *

"How much farther?" Harry panted, repeating the phrase Kushina had taught him when he'd been struggling for an accurate way to ask just that some time ago—it felt like hours to his aching legs, but he knew it couldn't have been that long. 

He'd been training regularly for a few weeks now, but it seemed like there were miles and miles of stairs. There was no end to them! Either way he looked, up or down, there were stairs as far as he could see.

Kushina, on the other hand, was barely breaking a sweat, even in the heat of the afternoon sun. She grinned at the boy, "What, are you tired already, Harii-kun?"

"Yes," Harry grouched—he'd _been _tired the last dozen times she asked.

"Just a little farther now," Kushina assured him.

Harry regarded her suspiciously—she'd been saying that the last couple of times he asked, too, "Really?"

"Really," Kushina confirmed cheerfully.

With a sigh, Harry turned his attention back to his miserable hike. He really hoped they _would_ get there soon, because he wasn't sure how many more stairs he could take—his legs were _burning_ with the effort. He had no idea how the woman made it up so many stairs on _crutches_ without even getting tired.

Thankfully, it really wasn't much further, and five minutes later they were climbing the last few steps to the top. Harry let out a groan of relief and set about looking around as Kushina followed him up. They weren't so far over that they were on top of the Hokage's heads, which were still ahead of them and a little higher, but the sheer drop they were over now offered an impressive view.

Naturally, the boy gravitated towards the edge of the cliff and looked out over the village of Konoha. His mouth dropped open with a quiet gasp and his eyes widened as he stared down at the busy little village.

"Wow…" He breathed his awe in English, not sure how to express such sentiments in his new language, yet.

Kushina came up beside him and smiled broadly as she looked across at her home, "Pretty great, isn't it?"

Harry nodded silently—he could see everything from up here!

"Look," Kushina said, pointing, "There's the apartment where you, Kakashi-kun, and Minato-san live."

The boy looked eagerly in the direction she was pointing, and with some effort he managed to make out the building, laughing in delight—he'd never seen a building from so far up before!

Taking a cautious step closer to the edge, Harry was able to find the park, and pointed it out enthusiastically. Kushina laughed, admiring the small park with Harry before pointing out the Hokage's Tower, the most prominent building of them all.

"Look!" Harry cried in surprise, pointing as a man suddenly appeared on the roof, only to flit off again a moment later.

Kushina grinned, "Shinobi," she supplied.

Harry nodded. He'd seen shinobi jumping around enough to know they did things like that sometimes. It was still weird to see it, even after three months.

Kushina moved cautiously closer to the edge, as well, and craned her neck to see the people down below. Minoji and Minoko were little more than smudged black heads from this height.

Harry crept closer again, as well, one hand holding Kushina's closest crutch for balance, and looked in the same direction. He stared down at the pair of tiny people for a moment, then looked up at Kushina, pointing with his free hand, "Minoji?"

The red haired woman nodded, "Yep, that's Minoji-kun, and Minoko-kun, too."

The boy smiled, raising his hand to wave down at them—even though the pair probably couldn't see him at all.

Several things happened all at once. Kushina leaned back again, her crutches shuffling awkwardly over gravel, loosening Harry's grip. A group of birds, apparently startled, shot out of the trees behind them and towards the sky, letting out loud calls of alarm. Harry jerked around in surprise, throwing himself off balance. Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Kushina stared in horror as the boy's body tilted dangerously over the edge and continued to tilt. Dropping her crutches, she lurched after him, chakra infused in her feet to keep her from joining him in free fall. Harry reached towards her instinctively, arms stretched out, and Kushina reached out for him as she followed him over the edge, chakra keeping her feet firmly attached to the steep cliff face.

A bolt of pain shot up from the woman's injured foot and it took her a moment to push it out of her mind and work through it. The split-second was long enough for Harry to fall from her reach.

As time reasserted its normal flow, Kushina could do little but stare in stupefied shock as her charge plummeted towards the ground.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut, fearful sobs catching in his chest as the significance of what was happening hit him. _He was going to die!_

He'd heard about it once, on the news. Uncle Vernon had had the television turned up and he'd heard the account in his cupboard as he watched one of the spiders slowly spin its web in one dusty corner—the story of a man falling to his death from a tall sky scraper. _He didn't want to die!_

The woman blinked, and a confused frown crossed her lips, eyebrows tilting together. She narrowed her eyes, searching the area the boy had just been in with bewilderment.

"Where'd he go?" She wondered out loud, looking from side to side and craning her neck to be sure he hadn't hit some outcropping of rock or something. It looked as though he had completely disappeared.


	13. One Little Boy

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Naruto, or anything else that looks like it came from a million dollar franchise. I do own Three Fingered Saburo. But we don't talk about him.

Wow, there were a lot of reviews on the last chapter! Thanks to so many people for reviewing! Anyway, this chapter should clear up a few things... Namely, of course, Harry's little disappearing act.

Keep in mind, when you read Harry's actions, that he's a six-year-old boy, and a six-year-old boy is much more likely to believe the adult authorities in his life than an eleven-year-old boy, so while eleven-year-old Harry might have accepted the possibility that he was magic rather easily, a six-year-old Harry might still have thought that magic was a four-letter-word (even though it's not) and believed that his aunt and uncle had good reason to hate him for certain things that were outside his control.

Shunshin no Jutsu is, of course, the body-flicker technique, which is used on numerous occasions in the manga and anime. It isn't the same as apparation. At least, in my mind it isn't. I hope you like the early update!

Chapter 13 – One Little Boy

"—James… James was dead in the door," the large man was struggling to get words out between all his sniffles and tears, "And-and Lily! Sweet, sweet, Lily… she… she was on the playroom floor." He had to pause to blow his nose in a large handkerchief.

"What about the baby, Hagrid?" Dumbledore asked anxiously, "What about Harry?"

Hagrid sniffed several more times and shifted the bundle he held again in his arms until he was holding it out, "He—'e's here, prof'ssor," he sniffled, " 'E was sleepin' when I foun' him."

The old man took the bundled infant in his own arms, still worried. He folded back the blanket that covered the baby's face and was relieved to find the child was, indeed, sleeping, breath calm and even. He had blood and soot on his face, but otherwise he appeared largely uninjured. Dumbledore pulled back the blanket further and could only stare as a head of perfectly white hair popped out of the top, untidy bangs stained pink with blood.

His fellow teacher, Minerva McGonogall, let out a gasp of surprise as she saw it, "Albus… what…?"

"I've… never seen anything like it," Dumbledore whispered, his surprise leaking into his voice, "Hagrid, was he like this when you found him?"

The half-giant snuffled again and looked to see what the Headmaster was talking about, "Y'mean the hair?" He questioned. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "Yeah… yeah, li'l feller was like that when I foun' him," he confirmed, "'Is playroom was all burned an' 'e was bloody like yeh see, an' 'is hair was all white."

"I wonder where the blood came from," Dumbledore murmured, pulling a handkerchief out of his own pocket and beginning to clear it away.

Harry stirred at the touch, and dark green eyes opened to stare up at the old man as he continued to clean his blood away. The baby began to whine a little at the presence of people who were not his parents, but Dumbledore soothed him, murmuring quietly as he continued his work.

At last the source was discovered. A small, lightning shaped cut was in the middle of the boy's forehead. It wasn't bleeding, but it was bright red, almost as though it had cauterized.

"How could Harry have gotten a cut like that?" McGonogall wondered, leaning in for a closer look, "Hagrid, did anything fall on him? Did you see?"

"No, ma'am, I'm sure of it," the half-giant replied.

"This wasn't made by any cut," Dumbledore murmured, examining the injury carefully as the infant fussed in his arms. He pulled out a wand and pointed it at the scar, murmuring under his breath.

McGonogall and Hagrid watched on anxiously, wondering what this could mean.

When Dumbledore looked up again his face was pale, "This scar… is the result of dark magic," he announced in a hushed tone.

McGonogall gasped and Hagrid teared up again.

"Dark magic?" The woman repeated fearfully.

"An unsuccessful curse, as far as I can tell," Dumbledore confirmed. He ran a hand through the infant's soft, white hair, "The hair, as well, may have been affected… we must bring him to St. Mungo's to learn more."

"Albus, will he be okay?" McGonogall asked anxiously.

The old man looked at her, blue eyes dull behind his half-moon glasses, "I don't know, Minerva," he answered wearily, "I really don't know."

* * *

Bewildered, the red-haired woman searched over the edge of the cliff for any sign of her falling charge, but found no sign of him. It was as though he'd simply disappeared. 

Kushina put her hands together in a familiar seal and disappeared from her cliff-side perch in a puff of smoke. Logically, the only place he could have gone was down—although she didn't see how he could have suddenly begun falling so fast that she couldn't even see him anymore.

A split second later she appeared on the ground in a second puff of smoke, at the base of the Hokage's Monument. Her sprained ankle let off another jolt of pain, but she ignored it, staring with wide eyes at the scene that had formed.

Harry stood in the middle of a group of people, tears running rampant down his cheeks and sobs shaking his shoulders. Most noticeable among the onlookers was Minoji and his sister. The young boy was struggling in the hands of his older sister, but Minoko held his arms firmly, not allowing him to escape as she stared at the white-haired six-year-old.

Confusion, worry, and even a touch of fear swirled inside the young woman as she approached the group—how could a small child survive a fall like that? How could _anyone _survive a fall like that?

"Harii-kun…?" She started uncertainly—the group opened up to allow her to approach the boy. Harry didn't look up at her voice, although he did start crying a little louder. Kushina studied the faces of the onlookers in confusion, standing inside the circle, but not quite approaching the boy, "What happened?" When no one answered immediately, she turned her questioning eyes to Minoko.

The girl's hold tightened on her brother a little and she paled at the attention being directed at her, "I-I don't know," she stammered, "One minute we were… and then… I don't… he just _appeared_ there. Out… out of nowhere."

"What do you mean he _appeared _there?" Kushina demanded, "Like Ninjutsu, you mean?"

Minoko shook her head, "No… He just _appeared_," she stressed again, "There wasn't any smoke or anything." She turned worried eyes to the woman, "Kushina-san, what is he?"

Kushina shivered at those words. How could a six-year-old child disappear from somewhere just to reappear somewhere else? It was… unnatural. She knew what everyone must be thinking—she was entertaining her own thoughts on the matter, as well, after all. Was it really possible…?

"—Monster," the woman heard someone in the crowd mutter.

Kushina's head snapped in his direction, eyes glaring, but someone else beat her to the task of chastising the man.

"He's not a monster!" Minoji shouted, still restrained firmly in his sister's arms—the older girl flushed in embarrassment at his words. "He's Harii and he's my friend!"

"Shush, Minoji," Minoko hissed into his ear.

The mutterings did die down a little, though. The others obviously weren't convinced by the four-year-old's words, but they were holding their tongues for now. Could even a demon do something like that…?

Shaking thoughts of demons and monsters from her head, Kushina purposefully approached the sobbing boy. Some of the onlookers took cautious steps back. The woman knelt before the boy and carefully touched his shoulder, "Harii-kun?" She repeated.

The boy opened watery, swollen eyes to look back at her uncertain face for a moment. His loud crying had subsided and the flow of his tears slowed as he stared at her.

"Harii," Kushina said again, carefully, "What happened…?"

The boy's eyes widened again, despair written all over his face as tears sprung again to his swollen eyes. He backed up a step—the crowd mimicking him—then turned abruptly and ran, people moving out of his way to give him a large berth.

Kushina stared after him a moment, then cursed under her breath as he disappeared into the trees at the edge of the clearing. With a sigh, she took after him.

* * *

Harry dodged through trees, running as fast as he could. He couldn't believe that had happened—not here! Not when he was just beginning to like it—when he was just beginning to fit in! Now they would all know that there was something wrong with him. That he was a freak, like his aunt and uncle liked to say. 

He made his way into the playground, ignoring the laughter and gleeful calls of the other children. Single-mindedly, he dashed into the large cement tube that lay off to one side—not a favorite toy for the children, but a good place to hide. He crawled inside and settled against the rounded wall, knees drawn up to his chest.

Worriedly, he wondered whether she would tell sensei. Probably, he decided. And Kakashi, too. He lowered his head to his arms miserably as sobs racked his body again.

What would they do? Would he still get to share a room with Kakashi? He doubted it. Maybe they'd clear out a little space in the closet for him… Or maybe they'd just leave him on the streets somewhere, like Uncle Vernon thought he should have done.

Maybe if he explained to Kushina that he hadn't meant to do it, and he wouldn't do it again, he could convince her to keep it a secret. The boy doubted it—he didn't think he'd be able to express his intentions well enough.

Miserably sighing into his arms, Harry's grip on his knees tightened. He really was stupid—how could he have let that happen? He didn't want it to happen, but he knew he'd made it happen, somehow.

Just like he somehow caused the milk carton to explode when Dudley tried to pour it on his head. Or like he'd made Uncle Vernon's pants fall down when they went to school that first time and his uncle had been lecturing him for the whole car ride that he needed to keep his hat on in school and he'd better not say anything to anyone and how much trouble he'd be in when he got home if he heard Harry had done anything to disturb his Dudley's education. Harry didn't know how it happened, just that it did and it was his fault.

* * *

It didn't take long for Kushina to find the boy. His path through the underbrush was relatively obvious, and it just took a few questions of the people in the park to be pointed in the right direction. She knelt down at the entrance of the cement tunnel, peaking in at the crying child. 

The woman sighed, running a hand through her hair. She wasn't sure what to do in a situation like this. Could Harry really be dangerous? But the Hokage would have known—he'd never have let something dangerous into the village. And besides that, she'd known Harry for a while now, and he'd never been anything but a lost, shy little boy.

Smiling slightly, Kushina rolled up her sleeves and crawled into the tunnel. Harry didn't even notice her until she was beside him, wrapping an arm around his shaking shoulders. The boy jerked in surprise, then looked up at her with wide, red-rimmed eyes filled with fear.

Instead of speaking—she had no idea what to say—Kushina gently moved her hand in a soothing motion, up and down the boy's arm.

Harry relaxed a little, but continued to watch her warily for moment longer. He slumped after a while, dropping his head back into his arms, a few more exhausted tears escaping him. Kushina waited patiently until he moved again, this time snuggling a little closer to her side.

"I-I'm sorry," the boy whimpered meekly, "I… don't want to."

Kushina frowned slightly at the little boy, wondering what he meant by that. She released a long breath in the form of a sigh and smiled down at him again, "Shh… Harii-kun, it's okay," she assured him.

Harry looked at her doubtfully.

Kushina's smile quirked a bit more naturally, "I mean it," she insisted, and in a rare, maternal moment, she rubbed a stray tear from his cheek, "Stop crying now, it's okay."

Harry sniffled a little more, but rubbed his eyes and cheeks, his tears finally subsiding. He wasn't sure why she was being so calm about this—by now, she should certainly be screaming at him, but he'd take her calm mood while it lasted. Maybe she didn't think he'd done it?

At last, the woman began to unfold herself, and tugged Harry a little towards the entrance.

Outside, Kushina took a moment to stretch, wincing as the weight was returned to her swollen ankle—which hurt a lot more after her little run through the forest than it had all day. She tested out her weight on it cautiously, but it seemed to hold up. She glanced down to see Harry climbing timidly out after her.

"Come over here, Harii," she directed, holding out an arm invitingly.

The boy looked at her cautiously, but obeyed, silently moving to her side.

Kushina directed his hands to her jacket, and closed his fingers around the material, "Now," she said with a small smile, "Hold on tight, okay?"

Harry stared at her in confusion, but held on as she raised her hands to form quick seals.

In a swirl of wind and smoke, the pair of them disappeared. For an instant Harry felt the sensation of moving at obscene speeds, then a second later the world jarred to a stop again and they reappeared in the hall outside of the Hokage's office, smoke and leaves picked up by the Ninjutsu slowly settling around them.

Harry blinked rapidly, looking around himself in confusion. Kushina grinned and ruffled his hair, "See?" She asked, "I can shunshin, too."

The boy flashed a brief, tentative smile, but it disappeared quickly as his worried look resumed. With a sigh, Kushina motioned towards the doors in front of them.

"Let's go, Harii-kun," she said, hobbling towards the door, trying and failing not to favor her injured leg.

Harry trailed behind her to the door and the kunoichi knocked quickly.

It took a moment before it was answered, and the shinobi inside looked annoyed. He frowned at the pair, "What is it?" He asked snappishly, "Hokage-sama is busy right now."

Kushina frowned at the man coldly, "Toro-san, I'm sure whatever you're discussing with the Hokage is important, but I have a feeling that my news is even more urgent."

The man frowned back unhappily, "What news could you have that's more important than the peace talks with Earth?"

Kushina's frown quirked a little deeper, "I'm sure it's above your level of classification," she returned coolly, "But I'll give you a hint. It _may_ have something to do with bijuu."

The man's eyes widened and his face drained of color. He glanced back over his shoulder anxiously before whispering, "The demons? What about them?"

Kushina raised an eyebrow.

Toro sighed and reluctantly opened the door further, "Very well," he conceded, "I will allow you to take my place this once… After you're done, I expect to be informed."

"Of course, Toro-san," Kushina agreed amiably, leading Harry past the man.

The Hokage regarded them with interest as the other shinobi left, closing the door behind him. He smiled wanly, "As important as treaties are, I appreciate a distraction from politics… I'm just not sure how you managed to convince Toro-san to leave, Kushina-san."

Kushina smiled back briefly, then her expression hardened again, "Hokage-sama, it's about Harii-kun."

The old man frowned, eyebrows drawing together in confusion as he looked at the tired boy, "What about him?"

"We went up to the Hokage's Monument today," Kushina supplied, "Harii was near the edge when he was startled by some birds." She frowned seriously at the Hokage, "I want to know how a six-year-old boy survives a 200 meter drop."

The Sandaime looked surprised at her query, "What do you mean?" He asked in confusion, "Harii-kun fell?" He looked the boy over again appraisingly. His eyes were red and his expression was morose, but he didn't appear hurt.

"Yes, he fell," Kushina confirmed with some irritation, "I saw him—he fell right off the edge, and he kept on falling…" She paused, expression wavering slightly in confusion, "Then… he disappeared."

"Disappeared?" The Hokage repeated, eyebrows raising.

Kushina nodded in confirmation, "Not knowing what else to do, I teleported to the bottom of the cliff, only to find him standing there, as if he hadn't just fallen a couple hundred meters. I questioned the onlookers, and they said he just _appeared_ there out of nowhere."

The Hokage frowned in thought, not sure what to make of this sudden change in events.

Kushina frowned, "Is Harii-kun a jinchuuriki?"

The old man blinked at her abrupt question, "No!" He answered quickly, a bemused smile appearing on his lips, "No, of course not. Harii-kun is nothing of the sort."

Kushina relaxed slightly, but continued to frown in confusion, "What is he then?" She asked, "How did he do that?"

The Sandaime sighed, rubbing his temples tiredly, "Harii-kun is from another country," he explained slowly.

Kushina raised an eyebrow, "You're not going to tell me that some other country has ninja who can just naturally teleport places, are you?"

"Not in so many words, no," the Hokage replied with some amusement. He sobered and continued, "Harii-kun's mother… had a special power of sorts."

"A bloodline technique?" Kushina pressed.

"In a way," the Hokage allowed, "She was… I believe the term was a _wizard_."

Harry stiffened at the word and Kushina blinked, then frowned again, "A wizard?" She asked incredulously, "Hokage-sama…"

The old man chuckled, "I'm serious, Kushina-san," he said, "The man who sent him here explained. In the country he was born in, there are people who can tap into some sort of magical source and do things that even we could only imagine."

The woman still looked dubious. Harry, at her side, looked more nervous than ever.

"What Harii-kun did must have been caused by magic," the Hokage surmised, "I was told it is not uncommon for young wizards to tap into their powers accidentally, usually in times of strong emotion."

Kushina continued to stare. She looked between Harry and the Hokage before asking, uncertainly, "Are you really serious, Hokage-sama?"

The old man looked slightly affronted, "Of course I am. It is not the first time we've had dealings with these wizards, although the cases are few and far between. The records extend back into the Shodai and Nidaime's time." He paused, regarding her, "I'm sure I don't have to tell you, but this is all very confidential."

Kushina frowned slightly, "What about the villagers?" She asked, "A lot of people saw what Harii-kun did. When we left there were plenty of rumors going around that he was a demon."

For a moment the Hokage returned her gaze, wearily, then he announced, "Then that is what people will think. I'm afraid this is not a secret that can be broken just to save one little boy from embarrassment. If the problem becomes serious, I will make an official announcement to tell the village he is not a jinchuuriki, but I cannot tell them how he did what he did."

Kushina sighed and lowered her head, "I understand, Hokage-sama…" She hesitated, then looked up again, "What about Minato and Kakashi?"

Somberly, the man shook his head, "They will be told nothing of this unless the time comes when they need to know."

"They'll hear the rumors," Kushina pointed out.

"Then they will come to me and ask after him themselves," the Hokage supplied, "You are to tell them nothing. We may have to take steps to prevent this from happening in the future. Too many cases of mysterious happenings, and the people may not even believe me."

Reluctantly, the woman nodded in agreement. She bowed briefly to the old man, "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I understand." She straightened again, "I'll send Toro-san back in."

From the look on his face, Kushina imagined he really didn't want her to, but he didn't say anything as she limped towards the door, a slightly bemused Harry in tow. They'd just go back to the apartment for now. Harry was tired and she doubted he would want to play after what he'd been through. Plus, she wasn't sure how far she could get on her own two feet.

* * *

Harry lay in bed the day after the incident. It was still relatively early in the evening, but he'd wanted to be alone so he turned in early. They hadn't gone out that day. Harry hadn't wanted to and Kushina had been lectured by a medic who'd been sent over to check up on her about staying off her foot while it was injured. 

Kushina was over the entire day—they'd worked a little more on his writing and reading that morning. They'd played a few board games—which had been covered in a thin layer of dust as testament to how infrequently they were used—and read a story about a pack of wild dogs that rescued and raised a young boy—Zuka—who'd been abandoned in the wild. When he returned to civilization near the end of the story, he acted and fought so much like the dog he'd brought with him that people called him "Inu-Zuka." Harry hoped the same thing didn't happen to him—he didn't think "Inu-Harry" had the same ring to it.

After the awkward afternoon yesterday, Harry had been a little surprised when the woman behaved normally towards him today. She'd given him smiles, ruffled his hair, and made jokes he didn't really understand. It was the first time someone had known about him and not treated him like a freak afterwards. It was a real novelty experience, for Harry.

As he lay on his futon, he let his thoughts drift. Was this what a mother would act like, he wondered? What his mother would have acted like if he'd known her? Would she have been so easily accepting of the weird things that happened around him? He wondered.

The wondering led to an inexplicable longing. At first, he thought he was longing to meet his mother. Then, with a start, he realized that he was longing for Kushina to _be_ his mother. He wished she'd stay with him always, to hold him and read him stories and make up embarrassing nicknames—like Harrypoo or ickle Harikins.

Voices suddenly starting in the other room made him stiffen in surprise, eyes wide as dread began to fill him. They were back.

Mind coursing with anxiety, Harry quickly scrambled under his covers and curled up, pulling up the cover until it was almost over his head entirely, leaving only a bit of white hair sticking out of the top. He wondered if Kushina was going to tell them. He didn't think she would—she must know how they would react to it—but he couldn't say for sure. He hoped that she wouldn't.

Maybe, if she did, she would let him live at her house when sensei and Kakashi kicked him out. She didn't seem to mind, but would she want him to stay with her? It seemed unlikely, but Kushina was full of surprises.

He heard the door slide open and he snapped his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. He could hear Kakashi moving around the room briefly, then the older boy left again. Harry didn't move, not wanting to risk being caught awake if someone came in again.

* * *

Avoiding Kakashi and sensei was easier than Harry had expected it to be, considering they shared an apartment and whenever they were home he was usually with one of them. The six-year-old took a very old tactic. He stayed in bed and refused to get up, moaning a little like Dudley did whenever he didn't want to go to Sunday School. 

Minato had been awfully persistent for the first ten minutes, asking if he was sick and trying to take his temperature. He made a mistake by trying to rope Kakashi in to help, too, though, and the young teen had bluntly told him they should just leave him home. Amazingly, it hadn't taken much longer before the man agreed.

Kushina came over again, teased him a bit about being sick—they both knew he wasn't, but sensei was apparently convinced that he was—and then went about the usual things. She did manage to get him outside, but only as far as the ramen shop for lunch, then straight back. Harry thought he could feel everyone looking at him, whispering behind his back.

He wasn't entirely sure what they were saying about him, but the few words he overheard didn't sound kind, and he could guess well enough at their meanings.

The day ended too soon, with Kakashi and sensei returning home. Kushina refused to let him go hide in his room again, pointing out that he had to face them sometime.

It was an awkward meeting. Kakashi didn't seem at all interested—which wasn't unusual—but neither did he disappear into his room or anything, staying by his teacher's side after they entered.

Minato's cheerfulness seemed a little forced and he joked awkwardly until Kakashi elbowed him and shot him a disdainful, single-eyed glare.

The blond grinned and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "Right, right, I was getting to it, Kashi-kun." He casually walked over to the couch and sat next to Kushina—or, at least, it looked as though he were trying to act casual and failing miserably.

"How was training?" The woman asked.

"Oh, it was good!" Minato answered a little too eagerly, "Yeah, Kakashi's doing really well now. I'm impressed." He shot the teen a smile.

Kakashi didn't return the sentiment.

Minato cleared his throat awkwardly, "So, er… how's Harii-kun?" He leaned across to see the little boy, sitting on Kushina's other side, "He looks better. Harii-kun, are you feeling better?"

The six-year-old shook his head and then buried his face in the woman's side. She rolled her eyes but patted his head affectionately, anyway.

Kakashi sighed, "Just ask, sensei."

"Ask what?" Kushina prompted, turning to the blond.

"Oh, heheh, it's not important," Minato said nervously, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head awkwardly again, "Just, heh, a weird story we heard today, right, Kakashi-kun?"

Kushina frowned slightly, "Would this weird story happen to deal with Harii-kun?"

The man flushed a little, lowering his hand to rest on his knees with his other one, "Er, so… you must've heard it, too, then…"

"Depends what the story you heard was," Kushina pointed out.

"Right," Minato agreed awkwardly, "So… what was the story you heard?"

Kushina rolled her eyes, "The other day Harii-kun and I were up on the Hokage Monument. He fell off, disappeared in midair, and reappeared safely at the bottom." She raised an eyebrow at the man, "Is that what you heard, Minato-san?"

The man blushed again, "I know, I know, something like that couldn't really happen."

"They said he was a demon," Kakashi added, eyes landing on the younger boy. He certainly didn't _act_ like a demon, the thirteen-year-old thought. He didn't see how anyone could think the six-year-old was a demon; really, he was just too pathetic to be one.

"He's not a demon," Kushina sighed, shooting the teen an annoyed look.

Kakashi shrugged as though to say, "It wasn't my idea."

Kushina turned to Minato, "But… yes, that did happen."

The blond started in surprise, "What do you mean that happened? How… I mean… How could that happen?! Harii-kun doesn't know any jutsu!"

"It wasn't a jutsu," Kushina said awkwardly.

"And he's not a demon," Kakashi said dryly.

"No, he's not a demon," Kushina repeated with some irritation.

"But… how…?" Minato trailed off helplessly, looking at the little boy in wonder and confusion.

"I can't tell you," Kushina replied, "All I'm allowed to say is that he isn't a demon."

"So… what is he?" Kakashi asked, catching the implications in her words.

Kushina sighed, giving the boy an exasperated look, "I just told you that I can't tell you. The Hokage says he'll tell you himself if you need to know."

"Wait…" Minato, if possible, looked even more confused, "What's Harii-kun?"

Kushina swatted the man on the arm—he yelped—"What did I just tell Kakashi? Don't you listen to anything?"

"Hey! I listen!" Minato insisted, "You don't have to be so mean about it, Kushina-san…"

Kushina rolled her eyes as the man pouted. The Mighty Yellow Flash of Konoha, if only his enemies could see him now. "He's just a little boy, Minato," she sighed, "He… inherited some unique abilities from his mother, but he's still just a little boy."

Kakashi looked a little interested, "What kind of abilities?"

"I don't know, Kakashi-kun," Kushina replied, slight exasperation back in her tone, "I guess you'll have to talk to the Hokage if you need to know anything else."

* * *

"You just started training," Kakashi said coolly as he dragged a reluctant Harry to the breakfast table the next morning, "So you need to make sure you keep up the routine, otherwise you'll form bad habits." 

Minato chuckled at his student's lecturing, feeling much more at ease after a long conversation with the Hokage. Kakashi had opted not to go, declaring that if his sensei said so, it was probably alright. Minato hadn't pressed the issue because the teen had been avoiding the Hokage ever since the meeting he'd had with him and the Uchiha elders over the matter of the Sharingan.

"Kakashi's right, Harii-kun," the man agreed, "Besides, you can't hide in your room forever."

Harry's expression said he'd have been willing enough to try.

After breakfast the three of them went out to the training grounds. Harry was acutely aware of the eyes that followed them. Disapproving, curious, and fearful. Whenever he looked to find the source of the staring, heads would jerk away and people would clumsily go about pretending to be busy until he looked away again.

The boy's shoulders sagged—he wished he could have just stayed inside. It was bad enough when just the Dursleys hated him, now he had to live in a whole _village_ that thought he was a freak!

Rin was waiting for them on their usual training grounds, looking distinctly awkward. Minato smiled at her and tactfully set Kakashi to making sure his brother warmed up properly before he approached the girl himself.

"Something wrong, Rin-chan?" He asked lightly.

The teen looked awkward and embarrassed, "Not really, sensei," she started slowly, fidgeting a little, "It's just... People have been saying such mean things about Harii-kun!" She looked up at the man imploringly.

The blond smiled, "Well, you know they're not true, right, Rin? It's just rumors."

"Yeah," the girl agreed morosely, "That's what I told tousan and the others... But, sensei, they said people _saw _him fall from the top of the _Hokage's Monument_ without getting hurt!"

Minato scratched the back of his head, "Ah... well, that doesn't really mean anything, Rin," he offered, "There could be lots of reasons for something like that happening... like, maybe there was a big updraft right when he fell, and that slowed him down enough to land softly. Or maybe there was an ANBU member nearby and he flickered in to save Harii, then flickered away again before anyone could see him."

The girl frowned at him, looking entirely unconvinced and even more uncertain than before, "Are you saying that actually happened, sensei?"

"Um..." He laughed nervously, "That is, I didn't actually _see_ anything like that happen."

Rin frowned up at him in the way only a woman could. She was growing up far too fast, her teacher thought.

He gave, "It didn't exactly work like that, anyway." He drew himself up importantly and adopted his most serious expression as he intoned, "Harii-kun teleported to the bottom. You see, he's a flicker-nin."

The girl stared at him dryly, "A... flicker-nin."

The man nodded sagely, "His mother was from the... Shunshi clan, an ancient people who were the first to use the Body Flicker in battle. They developed it as a bloodline technique, of course, but most ninja nations use a lesser version of it these days."

He looked so certain of himself that Rin felt tempted to believe him, if only for an instant. Her frown quirked a little more, eyebrows drawing together, "Sensei, I studied a scroll in the library about Shunshin no Jutsu... it didn't say anything about a Shunshi clan."

Minato deflated, "Ah... but it was a good story, right? I almost had you convinced, didn't I?"

The girl shot him a bemused look, "Sensei, what are you talking about?"

Minato glanced at the Hatake brothers over his shoulder—Kakashi looked annoyed, probably because Harry wasn't doing his push-ups the right way, but neither looked like they were paying any attention to him and Rin. "Rivaling Rumors," he whispered.

If anything, Rin only looked further confused, "Rivaling rumors?" She repeated, "Rivaling rumors about what? Sensei, you're not making any sense."

"Shh!" Minato hissed hastily, "Kakashi'd kill me if he knew my Top Secret Rumor Killing Technique!"

The girl stared at the man, clearly resigned to his growing case of insanity.

"I've only had to use it once before to this degree," the man explained in a hushed tone, "But I think the situation is serious enough already that it's time to use it again. Everyone in the village seems convinced that Harii-kun is one of the demons. Of course, he's not, but it's hard to explain away what happened when it involves secret information. So, by spreading even more false rumors, the general population should be distracted enough from the original speculation that they give up trying to figure out what's really true." He nodded self-assuredly.

Rin was silent a moment, puzzling out her teacher's crazy scheme, "So... you're going to spread more rumors about Harii-kun in order to stop the rumor that's already been spread about him?"

"Exactly," Minato confirmed brightly.

"Why don't you want Kakashi to know about it?" Rin asked in confusion, "He could probably help. People expect him to know the most about Harii."

Minato rolled his eyes, "Kakashi's no fun when it comes to stuff like this," he said, "He thinks if you just ignore a rumor it'll eventually go away. And, sure, it usually does, but if the rumor's serious enough it'll be a long time before anyone forgets, and you've got to live with the repercussions in the meantime."

The girl shot him an exasperated look, "I think if you explained it he'd agree, sensei," she commented reasonably, "But even if you won't let Kakashi help, I can, right?"

The man grinned widely, "Of course! Listen, I'll tell you another one."

* * *

Within a week rumors were raging about the young white-haired boy. It was the fastest growing web of stories to hit Konoha since the Three-Fingered Saburo, and maybe even bigger than that. 

Hatake Harry was the heir of a Body-Flicker Bloodline. He was an air god in disguise, come to hide in Konoha from the growing unrest in the mountains to the north. He'd been raised in dark, magical arts and could control everything from the air to the sea at a whim.

Harry was said to be a demon, a genius, and even Sakumo back from the grave. Things had gotten so out of control that you couldn't go anywhere without hearing something about him, and couldn't talk to anyone who wasn't sick of all the talk. It didn't help that there were more shinobi in the village than usual with so many withdrawing from the frontlines as the peace talks drew to a close.

Minato—upon returning from another mission only to find himself assaulted with just about every possible invention of _what_ Harry was—thought it was his best work yet, and allowed the chaos he'd caused to flow around him with his own, secretive smile.


	14. Eye of the Storm

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: If I were a rich man... maybe I could own Naruto or Harry Potter... I'm not a rich man, therefore the logic follows that I do not.

I've been sick for the last week so you're all really lucky that I got around to editing this chapter for posting. Thankfully, I'm starting to feel better, I'm just hoping it'll last this time and I don't have another relapse.

As always, thanks for the review, and I'd like to remind reviewers that if you have questions you'd like answers to you definitely need to either log in before you review or leave your e-mail address... If the same question comes up enough times in reviews, I _may_ clarify the matter here, but that's about it. That's all I have to say: enjoy!

Chapter 14 – Eye of the Storm

The doorbell rang and Petunia Dursley looked up from her one-year-old son. Dudley was in a large basin on the counter, having grown too big for the sink already, and she was up to her elbows in soap suds as she washed him.

"Vernon!" She called out loudly, "Can you get the door?"

His return call was muffled by the walls in between them and she wasn't sure whether to take it as a confirmation or not. She went back to washing Dudley, squeaking a small rubber duck near the boy's face and making him giggle in delight, reaching for the duck.

The doorbell rang again.

Petunia almost growled in annoyance and let her son have the rubber duck—he promptly stuck it under water, giggling. "Vernon!" She called again, "The door!"

Another muffled response.

"I'm giving Dudley a bath!" She shouted, "So unless you want soap suds all over your hardwood, you'll get down here and get it yourself!"

A moment later she could hear the loud, slow thumping that was her husband. She smiled and turned her attention back to Dudley, running a soapy washrag over his back gently.

"That's my ikkle Diddikins," she crooned, gently washing him as he continued his blatant murder of the rubber duck, squeezing the innocent toy under the water so it released bubbles of air along with a pitiful, distorted squeaking sound.

Vernon's thumps finally descended from the upstairs and she heard him undoing the lock on the door. She didn't hear anything for a moment.

"Petunia!!!" The man bellowed a few seconds later, alarming the woman into splashing her arms a little. Dudley wailed as soapy water got in his eyes and Petunia grabbed a towel, quickly wiping down his face and cooing apologies to her baby.

More thumping, this time approaching the kitchen, and the door was slammed open, "Petunia!" Vernon shouted again. Petunia looked over her shoulder at him, still absently toweling the whining child, and could only gasp in surprise when she saw the angry look on his purple face.

"Vernon!" She exclaimed in surprise, hastily scooping Dudley out of the water—to the babe's continued whining—and wrapping him in the towel as she hurried toward her husband, "What is it? Is something the matter?"

His mouth worked silently for a moment, then he announced, "I think you'd better come see for yourself, Petunia." He turned, leading the way back to the front door.

Worried, Petunia followed him.

The door was still wide open, allowing an early view on the basket placed outside their house. The woman frowned in confusion as she approached, wondering what someone would have left a basket there for. One of the neighbors as a welcome into the neighborhood, perhaps?

All thoughts of kindly neighbors left her when she saw something in the basket move a little. Gasping in surprise, she pressed Dudley into Vernon's large arms and hurried to the doorstep.

Wrapped up in white cloth lay a young baby, not much older, and definitely smaller, than her own Dudley. He was asleep, his small, round face barely peeking out of the blanket, and on top of his stomach lay an envelope.

"Vernon!" She gasped, "It's a baby! Someone's left us their baby!"

Vernon made an unintelligible noise and then followed it up with something that sounded vaguely like a croaked, "If you can call that vermin a baby!"

She shot her husband an irritated look—he was going a bit far if he was saying that. She scooped up the basket, smiling down at the sleeping infant's face. "Wouldn't it be nice if we could keep it?" She asked him, "It looks around Dudley's age, they could be playmates."

Red blotches appeared on Vernon's purple face—Dudley poked one of them, causing his father to splutter even more than he was already. "No son of mine is playing with that… that thing!"

Petunia frowned at him, shutting the door, "What are you going on about now, Vernon? It's only a baby."

More spluttering and one of Vernon's large, meaty hands reached out, "Only a baby?" He demanded, clutching the side of the cloth folded over the infant's head. He threw it back, "That's not a baby! That's completely unnatural!"

Petunia looked down and gasped in alarm, face paling to almost the same shade as the infant's shockingly white hair. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, then she offered, "Perhaps someone spilt bleach on his head… it could always be dyed back, Vernon."

Vernon looked at the infant as though it had offended him and didn't reply.

"Let's see what the letter says, at least," Petunia reasoned.

Vernon gave a gruff sound that meant he consented—if barely—and the two of them went back into the kitchen. Petunia set the baby basket down on one end of the kitchen table and picked up the envelope. Vernon moved to the other side of the table and eased Dudley down to sit on the table the furthest he could possibly be from the other baby.

Petunia broke the seal on the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. She unfolded it, cleared her throat, and started to read, "Dear Mrs. P. Dursley," she began, a little surprised that it was addressed to her personally, "I present you with Harry James Potter, son of your late sister, Mrs. Lily Potter, and—" she stopped there, staring at the letter with wide eyes. Firstly, because the baby she had taken in was her estranged nephew, and secondly because she hadn't heard of Lily being dead. It was the next few lines, though, that made her faint completely.

* * *

After the official announcement that a truce had been called things began to cool down a little for the shinobi of Konoha. With the reduced mission demands, Rin spent more time at the hospital and in studies and Kakashi spent a lot of time out in the forest—Harry wasn't entirely sure what he did out there, but he usually ended up coming home dirty and annoyed. 

Minato, however, actually started spending _less_ time at home. After being out all night he would come back early in the morning, humming happily and undaunted even by the annoyed looks the two Hatake shot at him. Some days he didn't even show up until noon—he would sheepishly apologize to Harry and take him out to ramen as though to make up for his absence.

Kushina was over more often in the afternoons and evenings, too. She and Minato would talk and laugh over vague comments, and she would usually help Harry with his studies, too. It was mostly on those days when Minato disappeared.

"Kakashi-niisan," Harry started over breakfast on one such morning where there had been no sign of the blond man, "Where is sensei?"

Kakashi looked at him, staring coolly for a moment before looking away again. He shrugged, "Probably with Kushina-san."

Harry frowned in confusion, "Sensei is with Kushina-san?"

"Probably," Kakashi said again.

"Why?"

Kakashi gave the younger boy an annoyed look, "How should I know?" He demanded sharply, "It isn't like he tells me anything." The thirteen-year-old stood abruptly and left the table, "I'm leaving now."

Harry stood up and followed him to the door—he was getting tired of always being left to his own devices. They'd actually done more together when Konoha _was_ at war. "Where?" He asked.

"Out," Kakashi said vaguely, pulling on his shoes.

Harry sat down and began to pull on his own, "Can I go with you?"

Kakashi frowned at him, single visible eye disapproving over his mask, "You shouldn't." He said, "I'm training."

Harry frowned up at him, the expression more of a pout on his childish features, "Why not? I'm good!"

"You'll _be good_, you mean," Kakashi corrected with a frown. He crossed his arms and shook his head, "No, you can't come."

Indignant, Harry opened his mouth to argue further.

"Because I said so," Kakashi interrupted.

The boy's shoulders deflated in disappointment, but he wasn't quite ready to admit defeat just yet. Taking a deep breath, he looked up again, "_Please_, niichan?" He'd learned from the other kids at the park that he could use that term for his brother, too.

Kakashi made a sound that was half a cough and half a choke and looked down at the boy with incredulous disbelief in his wide open eye, "What did you—don't call me that!"

"Okay," Harry conceded glumly, "Can I go with you, Kakashi-niisan? I'll _be _good!"

Kakashi sighed, looking down at the six-year-old with exasperation. Harry remained still under his gaze, head bowed slightly in anticipated rejection. Unbidden, thoughts of his sensei entered the young Jounin's head, bringing with it his own irritation at the man's frequent disappearing acts.

He glowered underneath his mask and quickly turned away from the boy, "Fine."

Harry looked up in surprise, his face lighting up, "Really?!"

"If you don't hurry, I'll leave you behind," Kakashi growled.

Harry hastily grabbed his second shoe and started pulling it on, "I'll be quick!" He promised, struggling with the sandal for a moment before jumping up and following the teen out the door, elated that he wouldn't be left alone again today.

Kakashi kept a quick pace, and the six-year-old had to run to keep up with him, but the boy didn't complain. When they finally got to the forest on the outskirts of the village Harry was exhausted and breathless and Kakashi reluctantly slowed his pace so the tired boy could keep up.

They arrived at a small clearing and the first thing Kakashi did was bend over to remove the weapon pouch around his leg. Harry watched him curiously until the older boy held it out in his direction.

"What...?" Harry started uncertainly.

"Take it and go practice," Kakashi said testily, "I'll be training so I don't have time to baby-sit you."

Harry pouted at that but took the pouch and headed to the other side of the clearing to practice throwing.

"Make sure you warm up first!" Kakashi called after him.

The boy's pout deepened and he set the weapon pack next to a tree, stretching grumpily in preparation for his warm-ups.

On the other side of the clearing, Kakashi pulled out his summons scroll and began forming the necessary hand seals. Half a minute later a small cloud of smoke appeared in front of him, clearing away to reveal a small puppy with a rapidly wagging tail.

"Yo, Kakashi, what's up? More training?"

Harry's head turned at the unfamiliar voice and he gaped as his brother responded to the dog.

"That's right," he confirmed, "Tracking today." Reaching into his sleeve, the teen pulled out a small plastic bag. He crouched down and held it out to the puppy, opening the bag as he did so, "Smells like this."

The puppy stepped forward to take a good sniff and his tail started wagging again, "Right, sure thing, boss!" And he scampered off, Harry still gawking after him.

Kakashi glanced at the younger boy, raising an eyebrow, "Something wrong, Harii-san?"

Harry pointed in the direction the dog had went, "It... it talked..."

The older boy shrugged, "That was Pakkun," he explained, "He's new to the pack—not even a real ninken, yet."

"But..." Harry started, not quite able to wrap his mind around a dog talking.

Kakashi shot him a blank look, "Aren't you supposed to be warming up?"

"But... the ninken talked!" Harry said insistently.

"I told you," Kakashi replied with annoyance, "He's not a ninken, yet, just a normal dog."

"But he _talked_!" Harry exclaimed, wondering if the older boy really didn't understand. None of the _other_ dogs he'd met could speak!

Kakashi frowned at him, "He just picked it up on his own. You have more important things to be doing than fussing over talking dogs—lots of summoned creatures can talk. And _I_ have more important things to do than explaining this to you."

"Hai," Harry sighed, understanding that the older boy wasn't going to explain anything else to him.

* * *

"You're leaving?" Harry asked dejectedly, watching as the older boy gathered his things and did a final check that he had everything. 

Kakashi barely glanced at him, "It'll only be for a few days."

"... Ryou-kun?" Harry asked.

The teen shook his head, "Not this time, Harii-san. I might need him."

Harry frowned but nodded his understanding.

Kakashi shouldered his pack, then finally paused to look at the younger boy—Harry's expression couldn't have been much sadder if he'd been told he was dying. The teen rolled his eyes. He'd never been that melodramatic—had he?

"It's only for a few days, Harii-san," he repeated, "Sensei will be here at night... probably. And Kushina-san usually visits in the evenings."

Still looking miserable, Harry nodded.

"You can go with Rin in the mornings," Kakashi nodded, "I asked her to check on you before she goes into the hospital."

The six-year-old's eyebrows drew together, "Rin is hurt?"

"She works there," Kakashi replied, "Sort of... she's training as a medical shinobi."

"What's a medical shinobi?" Harry asked, stumbling slightly over the long words.

"Rin can explain it to you," Kakashi dismissed, heading to the door, "I have to go. Ja mata."

"Ja mata... Kakashi-niisan," the little boy told the door as it closed behind the teen.

With a heavy sigh he turned away, eyeing the empty room sadly. Ever since that day two weeks ago, Kakashi had allowed him to tag along to his morning training almost every day. He complained about it frequently and always seemed a little annoyed to have him around, but at least the six-year-old didn't have to be alone as much.

* * *

The hospital, Harry had decided without a doubt, was boring. It was boring if you were a patient there, and it was still boring if you weren't. After five days of following Rin around, being snapped at by medics to stay out of the way, and suffering through bland cafeteria food, Harry was thrilled to see his brother back. 

Never mind that the shinobi that limped into the hospital was dirty and obviously tired, the six-year-old practically jumped him. Kakashi managed to raise a hand just in time to ward him off.

"Harii-san," the older boy acknowledged tiredly.

"Kakashi-niisan! You're back!" Harry exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Is Rin around?" Kakashi asked.

Harry frowned in disappointment, but nodded, turning to lead the teen through the hospital, "You were gone a long time," he accused.

"Not really," Kakashi said with a shrug.

The younger boy looked at him again and his frown deepened, "Are you hurt?"

"Not badly," Kakashi said.

Harry frowned at the evasive answer, "A little?"

Kakashi shrugged again.

Harry knocked on a door, waiting for a response before he opened it. Rin was inside along with an irritated looking man. She smiled when she saw Harry.

"Do you need something, Harii—" she broke off as she saw the older teen moving in behind him, "Kakashi-kun!"

The boy stared at her for a moment, then raised a hand in greeting, "Yo."

Rin frowned, looking him up and down clinically and deepening the expression, "You're hurt!" She noted, moving forward with the intention of helping him to a seat—Kakashi waved her off and sat in the indicated chair himself.

"It isn't serious," Kakashi said again, "The twisted ankle is annoying, though. I was careless."

The young medic swiftly knelt in front of him and removed one of his sandals, frowning at the swollen limb. "It doesn't look too bad," she murmured, raising her hands and forming seals.

Harry's eyes widened as the girl's hands were suddenly enveloped by a soft green light. Rin moved them around Kakashi's ankle, a look of concentration on her face. When she pulled back a minute later the glow slowly faded from her fingers.

"How's that?" She asked, looking up at the younger teen.

Kakashi rolled his ankle experimentally, then stood up, testing his weight on it. He nodded, "Thanks."

"You're sure there's nothing else?" Rin asked.

"Nothing serious," Kakashi repeated. At his old teammate's stern look he added, "Just a scratch or two. I already took care of them." He rolled up the sleeve of his left arm to show off the bandages he'd wrapped around it.

Rin reached out for it but Kakashi pushed his sleeve down again and pulled away.

"I've taken care of it," he repeated, "If it was serious enough I'd let you know."

The girl frowned at him dubiously, "I should probably take a look, anyway..."

"You were in the middle of something," Kakashi stated, nodding to the irritated looking man behind her, "I don't want to hinder your training."

"It wouldn't be..." Rin sighed at the boy's stubbornly blank expression, "Fine," she said, "But I'm going to come over later to check on you, okay?"

The boy shrugged in acquiesce and turned back to the door, his gait noticeably evened out, "Let's go, Harii-san."

* * *

"You're not concentrating." 

Harry bristled at the older boy's comment and turned his head to glare at the teen that was suddenly standing behind him.

"I am," he insisted, "They're not like kunai!"

"Of course they aren't," Kakashi said coolly, "Why would we need two weapons that were the same?"

Harry scowled—that wasn't what he meant at all. "They don't _throw_ like kunai," he said.

"They aren't kunai," Kakashi shrugged, "Those are shuriken. They're different."

The six-year-old sighed. Kakashi could really be impossible to talk to, sometimes. Even now that he was starting to get a pretty good handle on the language.

"Try again," Kakashi directed, stepping back to watch him critically, "Don't use your arm to throw them as much as you just use your wrist."

Harry wasn't even entirely sure what he said, but he did as directed, pulling another shuriken from his borrowed weapon pouch. Taking aim he tried to throw using his wrist more than his arm—it was an awkward motion that had the shuriken wobbling through the air to fall short of its target.

The elder Hatake sighed and silently held out a hand. Harry looked at it for a moment in confusion, then dug out another shuriken to give to his brother.

"Watch carefully," Kakashi ordered coolly, positioning himself in front of the target.

He used exaggerated movements and slowed himself down considerably so Harry could see what he was doing a little better, but the weapon still hit his target dead-on. A small smile flickered underneath his mask—just a month or two ago he would have found this difficult.

"Try again," the Jounin said, turning to leave Harry to his work.

The six-year-old sighed, rubbed his hands together once, then took out another shuriken.

The weather was still strangely warm, even though Harry was sure it was December already. Sometimes, at night, it got a little cold, but during the day the fierce sun warmed everything up again, and while it wasn't _really _hot, it was much warmer than Harry was used to for the winter. He didn't even need a jacket if he didn't mind the occasional chilly breeze blowing in from the North.

Harry was extremely disappointed that it hadn't snowed yet, because he'd been allowed to go sledding with Dudley and their class once last year, and it had been a lot of fun, even though he'd ended up with a cold afterwards. He thought Kushina and Minato might like sledding, and had been hoping to go again this year, once he'd thought of it, but it just didn't seem to be getting cold enough.

"_Dynamic Entry_!" Harry's head turned away from another bad throw to stare at the figure diving into the clearing.

The figure was moving very fast, a kick splintering the tree Kakashi had stood in front of a second earlier, and then blurring again as he came around to throw a series of impossibly fast punches at the white-haired teen.

Kakashi blocked the first few, then jumped away. The figure followed without hesitation, shouting as he attempted to drive his elbow into Kakashi's face. The Jounin blocked, moving to the side of the attack and gripping the attacker's arm in the same motion.

As the dust settled Harry found himself staring at a decidedly strange attacker.

The boy was wearing a green jumpsuit with the olive-green flak jacket Harry had grown used to seeing over the top of it. A round mass of shiny black hair was on top of his head and two large eyebrows were drawn together in intense concentration as he regained his breath.

"I see your reflexes are as sharp as ever," the green-clad attacker remarked, not even attempting to move from his position. He looked at Kakashi over his shoulder and flashed the other teen a grin, "As I would expect from my rival."

Kakashi released him, stepping back, and shoved his hands in his pocket, looking at him with disinterest. "What do you want, Gai?" The fastest way to get rid of him was to get straight to the point.

"You question me in such a cool manner!" The green-clad boy exclaimed in admiration, "That's why it is you, and no one else, who is my rival!"

Kakashi continued to stare at him expectantly.

"We haven't had much time to meet with the war in progress," the other teen explained, "Now that it's over I knew I had to come and see you right away! We must rejuvenate the passion of our youth after such a trying period! Come, fight me, Kakashi!"

"No," Kakashi said bluntly.

Gai blinked, pulling himself up from the fighting stance he had slipped into with confusion, "What?"

"I'm busy," Kakashi said, shamelessly nodding in the direction of Harry, "In case you didn't notice."

Gai spun around abruptly to look at the staring youth. He blinked in surprise, then narrowed his eyes to look more critically. Swiftly, he turned his head to look at Kakashi, then back to the child again.

"Yosh!" He exclaimed suddenly, "I, too, shall go to the Academy and take on an apprentice! My rival has done an incredible job in molding the young mind—you even look alike!—this must be some kind of super-advanced training method!"

Kakashi stared at him dully, "First of all, he's not from the Academy." He stated coolly, "Second, he isn't my apprentice and I'm not training him."

Gai blinked again, "He's not? Then what are you doing with this youthful child?"

Kakashi didn't respond—apparently the Maito family lived under a rock. Mentally, he cringed at the poor comparison as Obito's crushed body flashed before his eyes. He'd have to visit the Memorial Stone later to apologize for that. Still, rumors were still going around the village about his brother, and he couldn't understand how _anyone_ could not have heard of Harry's escapade on the Monument almost a month ago.

Gai waited a minute for the answer to his question, but when it became clear Kakashi had no intention of answering, he turned to the boy and stepped forward. "Greetings, youthful one, I am the Mighty Maito Gai. It seems you are familiar with my Eternal Rival, so it is only right that you should be familiar with me, as well!" He flashed Harry a grin and a thumbs-up.

Harry stared at him warily, glancing nervously at Kakashi before replying uncertainly, "I'm Harry." Edging away from the strange teen, he moved a little closer to his brother, holding the weapon pouch tightly, "Kakashi-niisan, what's an eternal rival?"

"Nothing," Kakashi answered dully, "It's just something dumb Gai likes to say."

Normally, Gai would have given some theatrical response to Kakashi's comment, but this time he was too busy thinking about what Harry had just said. "Niisan..." He mused thoughtfully. It wasn't uncommon for young children to refer to older boys as their big brothers, but Kakashi wasn't the type of person to encourage something like that—and Gai couldn't see a little kid actually liking him enough to call him that in the first place.

He looked between the two again, thick eyebrows drawn together and a deep frown on his face as he thought.

It hit him like a chidori to the face—which Gai had, thankfully, never experienced.

Gai gaped at the pair—it was so obvious he didn't know how he hadn't seen it earlier! While it was true Kakashi's mask made it difficult to compare them entirely, he could tell the two looked uncannily alike—it was extremely unlikely that that kind of resemblance was a mere coincidence.

The teen thrust out a finger at the six-year-old, "My rival! Is that boy related to you in some way?!"

Kakashi stared at him with disbelief. He _really_ didn't know. Gai, who knew more about him than anyone except his teacher and the Hokage himself, had no idea about the thing the entire village had been talking about for weeks.

"... If you don't know, I'm not going to be the one to tell you," he retorted at length.

Gai stared at him in shock, clearly not having expected such an answer, then recovered after several seconds. He drew himself up and frowned, "Fight me, Kakashi!" He demanded again, "If I win, then tell me how it is the two of you are related!"

"You won't win," Kakashi scoffed—not only was he a Jounin, and Gai still only a Chuunin, but he also had the Sharingan, if things got tough.

Gai smirked, "Your mysteriousness has set a youthful fire in my spirit," he declared, "To find out the answer, I cannot lose! But... if I do, then I will sprint around the village a hundred times."

"I told you before I can't fight you," Kakashi said, "I'm busy right now."

"You said you weren't training the boy," Gai pointed out, "So what is it that you're so busy with?"

Kakashi shot him an annoyed look, "If you must know," he said, "I'm training Pakkun."

Gai looked around, then back at Kakashi, "I see no one else here."

"He's on a mission now," Kakashi said, "He'll be back soon, though."

"Then let your mysterious relation be the one to meet him!" Gai directed boisterously.

Kakashi stared at him a moment longer, debating over how long it would take him to get rid of him if he continued to argue versus how long it would take him to get rid of him if they fought. Luckily, Gai always disappeared pretty quickly if he lost. Presumably to fulfill whatever bizarre self-punishment he had set for himself.

"Fine," he relented reluctantly, then turned to Harry, "I'm going to spar with Gai now. Keep an eye on Pakkun when he gets back, alright?"

Harry nodded.

Kakashi held out a hand, "I'll need those, too," he pointed out.

"Oh!" Harry quickly handed him the weapon pouch and scurried to retrieve the shuriken he'd thrown.

While he was gone, Kakashi turned back to Gai, expression serious, "I'm adding a rule to this fight," he announced, "No Katon Jutsu are allowed."

Gai frowned in confusion, "Why instate a rule like that?"

"Just agree to it, Gai," Kakashi demanded, "No fire techniques or we won't be sparring at all."

Still confused, Gai nodded his acceptance, "Very well, my rival. Although I do not understand, I will not use any fire techniques."

Kakashi nodded once in confirmation and turned to check on Harry's progress.

A few seconds later the six-year-old returned to them, walking carefully with two stacks of shuriken carefully balanced in his hands, a cringe fixed on his face as he concentrated not to drop them or cut himself.

"You should have kept the pouch until you collected them," Kakashi noted dryly, holding it open for Harry to deposit his weapons in.

Harry nodded in agreement.

Kakashi bent down to tie the pouch to his leg, "We'll be nearby if something happens," he told Harry, "Just yell and we'll hear you. Don't leave this area unless necessary."

Harry nodded again, "Okay."

And then his brother was gone, speeding through the trees with Gai following after him half a second later.

A moment later the clang of metal on metal met Harry's ears—he could just make out the blurs of the two shinobi through the gaps in the trees, but not well enough for it to make much of a show. Looking around his clearing absently, Harry settled down on the ground next to a tree, resigning himself to waiting for either Pakkun or Kakashi to get back.

* * *

Kakashi stopped abruptly upon entering the clearing after beating Gai soundly—the Chuunin hadn't stood a chance after he'd uncovered his Sharingan near the end. 

Harry was lying on his stomach, hands propping up his chin as he stared intently at the small pug, which was seated on his haunches, staring back. Neither of them looked up at his entrance, fully involved in their observation of each other.

"... As much as I hate to break up the staring contest," Kakashi muttered dryly, "Pakkun, how'd it go?"

The dog finally broke his stare to look up at him, then let out a pleased yip and hurried over to him, dropping his latest assignment at his feet. Harry's eyes followed the small dog with an unhappy frown, sitting up as his companion abandoned him.

Kakashi picked up the small scroll and glanced at it to be certain it was the one the dog was supposed to find.

"Good, that's all for today," Kakashi said, "We'll work on some more fighting techniques tomorrow..." He trailed off when he noticed his brother still glowering at his dog. "Harii...?"

Taking the invitation, the six-year-old pointed an accusing finger at the mutt, "He won't talk to me!"

Kakashi felt a twitch coming on in his eyebrow, "Pakkun... won't talk to you..." He repeated blandly, glancing from boy to pup.

Pakkun drew himself up and barked defensively, "How would you like parroting some runt's words all day?" The dog demanded irritably.

Harry, however, lit up at the little dog's voice, unfriendly as it was, and was at their side in an instant, crouched next to the small dog, "Come on, Pakkun, say my name," he wheedled, "Say Harry."

Kakashi's eyebrow came even closer to twitching this time—no wonder his dog was so irritable. Pakkun stared disdainfully at the six-year-old.

"Harii-san," Kakashi started, "I don't think Pakkun appreciates that. He can talk better than you, after all."

The boy looked moderately insulted and frowned up at the older boy, "I can talk better!" His voice was defensive as well as a little embarrassed.

"You should be able to understand why Pakkun doesn't want to be treated like he's some stupid animal, then," he stated coolly, "You can go back now, Pakkun."

The pug looked between the two humans then straightened, "Roger!" And disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The six-year-old looked a little disappointed at the loss of his playmate.

"We should head back, too," Kakashi said, turning towards the village, "It's nearly time for lunch."


	15. The End of an Era

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I do not now, nor have I ever claimed to, own Harry Potter. Similarly, despite frequent claims, I don't own Naruto.

Well, I have more reviews than I have alerts now, which makes me happy--thanks for all the reviews, guys! If you're curious about the length of this story... the official count is out: 25 chapters. So there's still a ways to go, yet.

One quick note. I'm not celebrating New Year's on January first (in this fic), I'm celebrating it in early February during the Chinese (also Lunar) New Year. The Japanese used to celebrate New Year on the Lunar New Year, but that changed in 1873... which works out just fine for the purposes of this story... you'll find out more about that in the sequel if you stick around.

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 15 – The End of an Era 

"_Dear Mr. V. Dursley,_

_It is with regret that we inform you of the deaths of your in-laws, Mr. and Mrs. J. Potter. Consequently, we are presenting to you your nephew, with the hope that you and your wife, who remains his last living relative, will keep him well. Please see to it that your wife has a chance to read this letter._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore"_

Vernon flipped the note over, his consternation growing each time he read it over only to see the same thing. Which was, of course, nothing like the bit his wife had read out loud before she collapsed.

He didn't like to think that Petunia had gone bonkers, but the only other explanation was that the letter really _did_ change its contents depending on the reader. Like _magic_. And if there was one thing he and Petunia agreed on—other than how perfect their Dudley was—it was that _magic_ did _not_ exist.

Oh, he knew about his wife's sister and the freakish family she'd become a part of. Petunia had explained it to him back when they'd been dating—it had been a hard thing to ignore, when her younger sister would appear over summer vacation talking all kinds of nonsense—but they'd both agreed it was an abnormality. Magic didn't exist, they just didn't know what else to call the freakish powers her sister talked about.

A slight noise from the couch—where he'd moved Petunia to after she'd fainted—drew his attention then. Dudley played on the floor nearby, leaving black marks on the wall as he drove a small toy car over the paper. And, of course, there was the constant drone from the closet, where he'd hastily shoved the Potter boy's basket to get it out of the way.

It was that muffled wailing that Petunia woke to, her forehead furrowing and eyebrows drawing together as her motherly instinct took charge of her slowly waking systems. "Dudley," she muttered tiredly, eyes slipping open to search for her son.

"He's here," Vernon supplied, at her side, "He's playing with his cars, see?"

Petunia's eyes slowly tracked over to her son, her lips twitching in a frown as she saw the lines he was making all over her living room. But the crying was still bothering her. Slowly, the woman sat up, Vernon hovering nervously until he was able to sit beside her.

"What's that noise?" Petunia asked groggily, her mind working furiously to figure out what was happening.

"That freak," Vernon grumbled, "He's in the other room."

Petunia's eyes widened as the events of the evening rushed back to her, "You've left him in the kitchen?!" She demanded of her husband, near to panic—she didn't want to think of what kind of chaos that freakish power could cause in there. And with them having a new range and all!

Vernon looked slightly uncomfortable before grunting, "No... the closet."

Petunia blinked, calming down a little, "You... left him in the closet?" She asked tentatively, not sure she'd understood correctly.

"Under the stairs," Vernon confirmed gruffly.

"Well... I suppose there's nothing there for him to ruin," Petunia allowed at length, "But something will need to be done to quiet him... leave him like this and the neighbors will hear."

Vernon's beady eyes narrowed at his wife, "We aren't keeping him," he said quickly, "Let's just get rid of him now. Drive him to the station—they can't blame us for turning in a baby left on our doorstep!"

"No!" Petunia's voice rang out shrilly and Dudley stared at her for a moment before bursting into tears at the noise. The woman's face was pale again, her heart racing, but she managed to steady her voice a little, "No," she repeated, "He... he _is_ family, after all... it's only proper that we keep him... what would people say if we put our only nephew out?"

The man didn't look convinced, "Better have them talk then raise that freak next to our son," he growled.

Petunia's thoughts flew around wildly, the words of the letter reverberating around her scull. She couldn't let that come to pass—Harry would have to stay, whether they liked it or not.

"Maybe... he doesn't have to be a freak," she suggested tentatively, "Perhaps... with proper treatment... he can be remedied of it. My parents always let Lily run wild, that was the problem. If they'd only handled her with discipline, she would have turned out alright..."

Vernon remained dubious, "The risk is too great," he grunted, "Listen, we'll find him a proper orphanage—people won't talk if we do what we can to find him a different home. We've already got Dudley, they'll understand if we can't afford to raise two boys at the same time."

The idea was tempting, even to Petunia, but the consequences would be too great. She shook her head and searched her mind for one last, desperate ploy to convince her husband to her side. "Please, Vernon... my sister wasn't always a freak—let's make this one right, for her and for me."

* * *

Harry blinked in surprise when he finally joined Kakashi into the main room. Minato hadn't been around much in the two months since Fire signed a treaty with Earth, excusing his activities with vague, meaningless answers, and it was the first time he'd seen the man at the breakfast table in at least two weeks. 

Kakashi was openly eyeing his teacher with suspicion, but the man grinned, apparently oblivious to the look.

"Ah, Harii-kun, there you are! I hope you're hungry!" The man said cheerfully, gesturing to the table full of food.

Harry's eyebrows drew together in confusion—in all the time he'd been there, more than four months now, the blond man had never shown any particular knack for cooking. He sometimes even managed to burn rice.

"What's the occasion?" Kakashi asked dryly, reluctantly taking a seat at the table. Harry followed his lead.

The blond man scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly, "What do you mean, Kakashi-kun? It just struck me that we haven't had breakfast together in a while..."

The young Jounin looked at him dubiously.

Minato grinned and began dishing out the food, "So, tell me what you've been up to! We don't get to eat together like this often."

"Harii and I do," Kakashi retorted coolly, not even looking at the man, "It's only you who's not here."

The man's grin faded as he looked between the two white haired boys, feeling a little guilty at his student's comment, "Ah... well, I've been pretty busy," he admitted, "I know I haven't had much time for you two recently... There's just a lot going on right now."

Kakashi eyed him blankly, "Like what?"

Minato shifted uncomfortably, "You know... So, Harii-kun, how are your language lessons coming?"

The two boys frowned at his change of subject. Harry looked uncertainly at Kakashi—who quickly became involved in eating his food—before looking back at the man.

"Fine," he answered uncomfortably.

"How's your writing and reading?" The man pressed.

"Okay..." Harry replied awkwardly, looking pointedly at his breakfast, "Hiragana is easier than kanji." And he didn't quite understand why he needed to learn katakana, too.

Minato nodded with understanding, "Yes, Kakashi had a bit of trouble learning kanji, too."

Kakashi scowled slightly, but didn't respond and an awkward silence settled over the table.

"Anô... Kakashi, I heard you led a successful mission the other day," Minato said after a few seconds, "Congratulations."

The teen shrugged, "It was only B-Ranked."

"Still, it's very impressive," Minato insisted with a grin, "Not many thirteen-year-olds can do that."

Kakashi eyed him dully and didn't respond.

Minato sighed, "You know," he said dryly, "You guys aren't exactly making this easy. I've been in interrogations that were more relaxed than this."

"You don't have to stay," Kakashi said abruptly.

The man blinked in surprise as the boy's single black eye rose to stare at him intently.

"Harii and I can take care of ourselves," Kakashi continued coolly, "You don't have to feel obligated."

"Oh, you two..." Minato sighed and ran a hand through his hair before pinning the two boys with long, serious looks, each in turn, "I know you're capable of taking care of yourselves, but I_ like_ staying with you," he said, making sure he was very clear, "You're both very precious to me. I wish I could spend more time with you right now, but I just can't."

"Why?" Kakashi asked bluntly, everything in his body language suggesting he didn't really care.

Minato knew he did, and wished he could give a better answer than he would, "I can't tell you what I'm doing... just that it's important. After things settle down, I should be able to find more time to spend with you."

"You find time to spend with Kushina-san," the teen pointed out blithely.

Minato blushed, "That's a little different, Kakashi," he said seriously, "Besides, I don't get to spend very much time with her, either."

The boy didn't appear convinced.

The blond man glanced around the apartment furtively before leaning over the table so he was closer to the two boys, "Listen, you'll find out soon enough. I'm not supposed to tell anyone... but I've been training lately."

Kakashi frowned at him suspiciously, "What sort of training?" He asked, still trying not to appear too interested.

Minato looked around again and motioned for the two boys to lean closer to him. Harry did so very quickly and Kakashi reluctantly leaned forward a moment later, too.

"Hokage training," Minato replied with an excited light in his eyes and a small smirk on his lips.

Both children simply stared at him for a long moment, expressions unchanging.

Harry tilted his head, frown deepening a bit, "What's Hokage training?"

"You mean..." Kakashi trailed off, looking a little bewildered and impressed at the same time.

Minato grinned, sitting back in his chair, "Yep," he confirmed, "You're looking at the Yondaime Hokage. Of course, it won't be official until Sandaime-sama announces it at the festival..."

Harry frowned in confusion, looking between the two shinobi, "What's the Yondaime Hokage?"

"The Yondaime Hokage is Sandaime-sama's successor," Kakashi supplied absently, sounding as though he didn't entirely believe what he was hearing, "Basically... The Yondaime will take over as the Hokage when the current Hokage retires. It's actually going to be you?" The last part was directed at his teacher.

The blond grinned, "Did you ever doubt it?"

The teen shrugged, then announced, "Anyway, I'm glad it's you and not Orochimaru-sama."

Still looking confused, Harry added, "Then you'll be Kakashi-niisan's boss?"

Minato laughed and Kakashi cracked a smile.

"Sensei's always been my boss," the teen grumbled, "But now he'll be everyone else's, too."

Harry blinked, "My boss?"

Minato laughed again and ruffled the boy's hair, "Maybe someday, Harii-kun," he said with amusement, "When you become a shinobi."

"More importantly," Kakashi said, frowning at his teacher, "What are you doing here if you're supposed to be training?"

Minato grinned, "Sandaime-sama gave me the day off," he supplied cheerfully, "I thought the three of us could spend the morning together, then meet Rin for lunch. Kushina's on a mission, but she should be back to meet us for dinner."

"Just Kushina, now, is it?" Kakashi asked, the frown on his lips not matching the amusement in his eye.

His teacher blushed all over again, "Ah... well... Kushina-san, I meant... of course..."

"Is Kushina-san your wife?" Harry asked curiously.

Minato, who had hurriedly taken a bite of food to ward off the need to explain further, abruptly choked on it in surprise. Kakashi covered the lower half of his face with his hand, not quite quickly enough to completely hide his smile or stifle what sounded suspiciously like a snigger of laughter.

"Is she my what?" Minato finally asked after soothing his cough with a quick drink of water.

Harry frowned, thinking he'd said it wrong, "Your wife."

The blond's face was an interesting shade of red as he fought uselessly against the growing blush, "Ah... no, she's not... she's not my wife, Harii-kun," he supplied awkwardly. He shot his amused student a dark look, "Did you tell him to ask me that?"

Face still covered, Kakashi shook his head, "I don't even know where he learned that word."

"What makes you think she's my wife, Harii?" Minato asked curiously.

Harry shrugged awkwardly, aware that he'd said something wrong but not quite understanding why, "I think... Kushina-san smiles at you," he supplied after a few moments of thought, "And you act..." He frowned uncertainly and looked at Kakashi.

"Weird," the older boy supplied, tone definitely amused.

"Weird to her," Harry finished, "Like..." He trailed off again, a shadow crossing over his eyes—like his uncle used to act around his aunt sometimes.

"... It would be nice," the man admitted awkwardly, trying to get Harry's thoughts off of the obviously painful road they were on now, "But I don't think we'll ever get married."

Kakashi frowned at him, lowering his hand, "If you want to, you should."

Minato smiled slightly, "Things aren't that simple, Kakashi," he said wistfully, "When I become Hokage..."

The teen nodded in understanding, expression somber, "Your family would be a huge target."

"It would be better if we remained just friends," Minato agreed with a nod.

Silence settled around the table as everyone continued their breakfasts—it wasn't quite as awkward this time.

* * *

"Kakashi-niisan's Pakkun can talk," Harry announced blithely when an uncomfortable silence had settled over the group—brought upon by Kakashi's callous comment. 

"Now that only one of us likes ramen, we should try something else," the older teen had grumbled when they entered the ramen stand, opening the still relatively new wounds the team held regarding Obito's death. Kakashi was still chagrined enough at his own thoughtlessness that he didn't mind himself becoming the newest subject of conversation—in fact, the look he gave the six-year-old could have almost been called grateful.

Minato was quick to jump on the change of subject, pushing away his own distraught emotions to appear cheerful once again, "Oh, yeah, Kakashi's newest puppy, right? How's the training coming along, anyway, Kakashi?"

"Fine," Kakashi replied with only half of his usual reluctance, "He is very good at tracking." He paused just long enough for the atmosphere to turn heavy again before continuing, "His attack repertoire leaves much to be desired, however."

"Oh?" The blond asked with interested, eyebrows raising.

Kakashi scowled slightly, "His idea of a useful attack is to bite someone's ankles."

Harry, giggling, added, "Or their butt."

Minato, who had been halfway through slurping down a mouthful of noodles, choked immediately, coughing until he dislodged enough of the food to laugh at the unexpected comment. Even Rin smiled, the ghost that had surfaced at the implication of her teammate chased away, at least a little.

A blush rose up to peek over Kakashi's mask and the look he shot his brother was far from grateful this time, "I don't think they needed to know that, Harii-san," he grumbled self-consciously.

Minato, still laughing, clapped his irritated student on his back, "Now, now, Kakashi-kun, those attacks could be very useful. The bottom is a very sensitive place on most people."

Kakashi glowered at him, not at all appreciative of his teacher's wisdom.

Rin rolled her eyes, still smiling as she shook her head in exasperation, "It's not exactly a flattering method of attack," she added sweetly, "But sensei is right, Kakashi-kun, it could be very effective."

Kakashi wondered why everyone was ganging up against him, then figured he probably deserved it for his comment earlier. It didn't make it much easier to tolerate.

"Biting the ankles, too," Minato added with exaggerated sincerity, "An attack there could be extremely inhibiting, if, say, Pakkun were able to bite hard enough to tear ligaments and render the foot useless."

Kakashi grunted in agreement, "I'd though of that, sensei," he commented, not at all mollified.

Rather than risk pushing things too far with the sensitive boy—and risk him closing off from the fun so early—Minato tactfully changed the subject again, "I hear things are going well at the hospital for you, Rin," he commented, turning to his other charge.

The girl nodded, "Since... since the war stopped," she started awkwardly before plowing ahead, "I've been making a lot of progress. That's what Takayo-sensei says, at least."

Minato grinned, "Takayo-san is a very demanding man. If even _he_ comments on your progress, then you must be doing _very_ well! You'll probably even make it to Jounin in a year or two!"

The girl flushed at the compliment, embarrassed, "I don't know about that," she mumbled self-consciously, "Medical ninja aren't often promoted to Jounin. Since we focus more on the healing arts, it's not the best strategy to put us in charge of teams going on A and B-rank missions..."

"Oh, I don't know," Minato mused, "It seems like a good idea to me, what about you, Kakashi-san?"

The white-haired teen pointedly did not look at him, "Maybe," he responded dubiously.

"That's just not the way things are done, sensei," Rin added self-consciously.

"Well, maybe all of that will change in a few years," Minato commented cheerfully, winking at Harry and Kakashi.

Kakashi rolled his eyes, mumbling something under his breath about the abuse of power.

"Besides," Minato said, ignoring his protégé again, "Tsunade-hime is one of the most skilled medics there is, and I don't think anyone would say her Jounin status was unrightfully given."

Rin's flush deepened as she found herself compared to the great Sannin, "But, sensei, Tsunade-sama is also a great offensive fighter."

"That's true," Minato said thoughtfully, "Maybe that's why no one would argue her status."

Kakashi sniggered softly and the blond grinned widely.

"That's not what I meant!" Rin insisted anxiously, "Just that most medics focus on defensive and supportive tactics! Tsunade-sama is one of the few who also has an impressive offensive!"

"Yes, yes, of course," Minato said in a placating manner to the nearly frantic girl, "Tsunade-hime was a very admirable kunoichi and I have nothing but the utmost respect for her, as I am sure we all do."

Rin relaxed slightly, although she looked a little irritated as she realized he'd been teasing.

With a contented smile, Minato sat back in his chair—four empty bowls had somehow piled up in front of him. "So... Do we spend the rest of the day with business or pleasure?"

Harry brightened at the question and spoke up before either Kakashi or Rin had a chance to. "Let's go to the park!"

Minato laughed at the enthusiastic response and ruffled the six-year-old's already untidy hair, "That's what I like to hear! The park it is!"

Rin smiled and Kakashi didn't scowl too darkly as they paid for their meals and left the ramen stand.

* * *

Rin and Minato shared a secret laugh as Harry tried for the umpteenth time to convince his big brother to go down the slide with him. Kakashi's dark countenance clearly implied that he wanted to be anywhere else that wasn't here, but the fact that he hadn't seriously tried to leave yet was encouraging. 

"Just one try!" Harry was insisting, tugging at his brother's arm, "It... it's... very quick!"

Minato snickered, earning himself a dark glare from his white-haired student, but Rin frowned slightly.

"Sensei," she started, looking up at the man with some concern, "Isn't it kind of disturbing that he doesn't know what fun is?"

Minato raised an eyebrow at the cheerful looking boy, "It looks like he's having fun to me."

The girl shot him an exasperated look, "I mean the _word_ fun, sensei."

This time the man did frown slightly, "I suppose he hasn't heard it much in a context he could understand." He grinned again, "That's easily remedied, though. Kakashi! Go with him, it'll be fun!"

Kakashi glowered back at his teacher again, "Falling down a sheet of metal isn't exactly what I would call fun, sensei," he retorted dryly.

"Kakashi-niisan!" Harry wheedled again, "Just one...! Please!"

Minato opened his mouth to chime in but Kakashi shot him a dark look, "Don't," he commanded sternly before turning back to the six-year-old, "Harii, that's a kid toy. I'm not going to play on something made for kids half my age."

Harry frowned dejectedly—it came out looking like more of a pout.

Taking pity on the boy, who obviously only wanted to share his enjoyment with his brother, Rin stepped forward, smiling at the two. "What if I go with you?" She asked Kakashi.

The other teen stared at her, something flashing across his face between horror and complete bewilderment. "Rin, it's a _slide_."

"I know," the girl said with a smile, "It looks fun, doesn't it? I haven't played on one of these things in _years_." She looked down at the six-year-old, whose interest had been peaked again, "What do you think, Harii-kun? How about if me and Kakashi go with you on the slide?"

"Yeah!" The boy agreed enthusiastically.

"I'm not going," Kakashi said stubbornly, crossing his arms. Why was everyone getting so worked up over a stupid piece of metal, anyway?

Harry frowned at him, "But it'll be... quick," he said, "You'll like it, Kakashi-niisan!"

Kakashi very much doubted it.

"Yeah, Kakashi-niisan," Rin chimed in with a mischievous smirk, "It'll be _quick_ and _fun_. Right Harii-kun?"

"Quick and fun," the boy agreed.

"Oh, go on!" Minato called out, "What can one time hurt?"

"Besides my pride as a shinobi?" Kakashi muttered dryly.

Rin rolled her eyes, "Quit being such a party-pooper, Kakashi," she sighed, "You have today off, can't you lighten up even a little?"

It was a poor choice of wording for as soon as the words left the girl's mouth, the other teen stiffened abruptly.

"There's a difference between lightening up," the stiff boy all but snarled, "And acting completely foolish."

"Kakashi," Rin started uncertainly, visibly startled by his response.

"I'm leaving," the boy announced coolly before swiftly pulling free of Harry's hold and disappearing in a burst of smoke, eliciting several stares of wonder from the other children playing there.

"Sensei," Rin drifted closer to her teacher with an expression of concern, "I didn't mean to upset him."

Minato sighed and forced a smile, ruffling the teen's hair affectionately, "I know you didn't, Rin," he agreed, "I'm sure Kakashi does, too. I'll talk to him—see what's wrong." He had a feeling he already knew, "Can you take Harii ahead to the restaurant?"

Rin nodded agreeably, still looking concerned, and took up Harry's hand, "Come on, Harii-kun," she said, "Sensei is going to get Kakashi-kun."

The boy nodded and went with her, casting one last look back at the blond man before turning his attention forward. Silently, he decided never to try to get Kakashi to go on the slide with him again.

* * *

It took him nearly an hour to find his wayward student. He'd checked back at the apartment, at their usual training spots, and even at the Hatake clan grounds and cemetery. He hadn't even been looking for him at the Memorial Stone, just happened to pass by and catch a glimpse of white hair. 

The thirteen-year-old had settled on his knees, sitting back to rest on his heels. His back was straight, rigidly so, and his head bowed to stare at the ground. Minato moved to stand next to him silently, eyes automatically falling to the name of his student. _Uchiha Obito_.

They stood together like that for several long minutes, then the man plopped down on the ground, sitting back in a comfortable, cross-legged position. "Rin didn't mean anything by it," he said.

"I know," Kakashi replied softly, not moving.

"You going to be okay?" The man asked hesitantly.

The teen nodded.

Minato sighed, "You know... it's not the end of the world if you act a little foolish sometimes."

The boy shot him a dull look and didn't respond.

The man laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head, "Alright... so maybe playing with playground equipment was going a bit far..."

Kakashi sighed and looked away again, eyes picking out his teammate's name on the rock, "It's not that," he admitted reluctantly.

The Yellow Flash looked over at his student with interest, "Oh? Then what is it?"

Kakashi didn't respond, but Minato thought he understood, anyway.

"It wasn't your fault, Kakashi," he said. It wasn't the first time he'd said it, and he doubted it would be the last. He'd keep on saying it until he finally nailed it through his student's thick skull.

The teen's expression twitched slightly but he didn't respond—it wasn't a point he wanted to argue one way or another.

Minato sighed again, "Kakashi... you have to learn to move on..."

The look Kakashi sent him was hard and cold—Minato didn't think he'd look any more murderous if he'd just been asked to kill his other remaining teammate. "How can I just 'move on?'" The teen asked incredulously, some of his anger leaking into his voice, "No matter what you say, sensei, it was my lack of observation that led to Obito's death. More importantly, I was his commanding officer, and it was my duty to ensure his safety along with the completion of the mission."

To Minato, it sounded like an awful lot to put on the shoulders of a thirteen-year-old, especially when he heard it all listed out like that. "Kakashi, this is something a commander needs to learn to deal with. I can guarantee that every Jounin in Konoha has lost someone under their command at one time or another, most of us have had that misfortune repeatedly, especially in the recent years of the war."

Kakashi stared at him for a moment, expression unreadable, then he asked, quietly, "Have you ever lost someone under your command, sensei?"

The man hesitated, then nodded somberly, eyes lifting to scan through the other names until he found one that had been written many years ago. "A good friend of mine," he confirmed sadly.

Tearing his eyes away from the kanji and his mind away from bittersweet memories of a time when he was much younger, Minato smiled slightly, "Instead of focusing on those who are dead and beyond our help, Kakashi, we need to focus on those around us now, and those who will be beside us in the future."

Kakashi's eyes left his teacher and rested on the stone again. Softly, he responded, "I'm not ready to lay my ghosts to rest, yet, sensei."

Minato's smile widened, becoming a little sadder, "I know, Kakashi." He stood, dusting himself off as he did, "Ready to go back?" He asked. When the boy hesitated, he added, "Or do I need to tell everyone you're still too busy moping?"

He was rewarded with a cool glare, "I'm not _moping_," the teen retorted lamely. With visible effort, he hauled himself up and turned away from the stone, his teacher standing patiently to the side.

Minato's smile was more sincere this time, "Great, because I'm starving. You're hungry, too, right, Kakashi-kun?"

Kakashi didn't bother glowering at the man—it was a battle he'd never win and he didn't have his reputation to protect with no one else around. "As long as it's not ramen again."

The blond pouted and impulsively threw an arm around his student's shoulders, "Ramen's not _all_ I eat, Kakashi," he defended, sounding hurt.

This time Kakashi did glower at him—Minato didn't remove his arm, smiling back innocently. The teen sighed and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, "Could have fooled me," he grumbled, a light blush rising to his cheeks at the unaccustomed contact.

Minato, of course, was as cheerful and unflappable as ever. Kakashi wished he knew how he did it.

* * *

Kakashi, Rin, and Harry all had looks of surprise in varying degrees. Kakashi's eye had widened minutely, but only for a moment before he stubbornly shoved a hand in his pocket and lowered his eyelid again, looking over the crowded streets as casually as he could manage. Rin, having no such reservations, was staring outright, eyes wide in shock as she looked over the crowds. 

Harry, however, looked more surprised than both of them put together, eyes wide and mouth hanging open slightly as his head swiveled around to take in _everything_. The narrow, winding streets of Konoha were about as crowded as they could get, people milling about shoulder to shoulder with children ducking around adults' legs to get to their next destination that much faster. Booths selling a wide variety of food and offering dozens of new games lined the edges of the roads, and even the usual shops were teeming with customers. Enticing smells hung heavy in the air, and the sheer volume of so many people simply enjoying life was almost overwhelming, especially to those not used to it.

"It seems... more crowded than usual," Kakashi stated tactfully, eyes still roving the crowd warily—they hadn't managed to step out of the threshold of the apartment building, yet.

Rin nodded, a slight smile crossing her lips, "It looks more like it used to," she commented, looking across at her teammate, "Before the war started... back when we were kids."

Kakashi glanced at her a moment, then back out at the crowds, trying to remember what he'd done on festival days as a child. Vaguely, he recalled his father bringing him a pinwheel when he returned, late at night, from a mission, promising to take him next year. The next, he recalled sitting on top of the wall of the Hatake complex, peering down at people as they ran along the abandoned back streets to partake in the festivities. And then they'd been at war, and there had been missions—missions didn't take holidays, even for seven-year-old boys.

"I never went," he supplied blankly.

Rin frowned slightly, looking at her teammate with concern, "But you must have gone," she insisted uncertainly, "When you were little, at least. Didn't your parents take you?"

The boy shrugged, unmoved by her concern, "If they did, I was too young to remember."

Reluctantly, Rin accepted the answer—as much as she disliked it. She smiled, "Well, you've gone with sensei a few times, I suppose."

Kakashi nodded—of course, she knew that. She and Obito had even gone with them once or twice.

The girl frowned, squinting her eyes as she looked through the crowd again, "Where is sensei, do you think? I kind of expected him to meet us here."

"We'll see him eventually," Kakashi drawled confidently and took a daring step past the threshold of the door and into the crowd. Rin and Harry followed him, the little boy still trying to look at everything at once—Rin quickly took up his hand to ensure he didn't get lost.

"What about you, Harii-kun?" Rin asked, voice raised to be heard over the crowd that seemed to have doubled in volume just from stepping through the doors, "Have you been to a festival before?"

Harry knew what a festival was—they'd been talking about it for days—and he knew he'd never been to anything like it before. He didn't know whether the Dursleys had or not, but if they had, they had opted not to include him. He settled on shaking his head mutely, mouth still silently gaping at everything he saw.

The girl's smile widened, "We'll have to make sure your first is memorable, then," she decided cheerfully.

* * *

It was the ugliest thing Kakashi had ever seen. The sun reflected off of it in awful, blinding rays and the image itself was nothing short of grotesque. It was a stout hog with a large snout and a back covered in multi-colored scales that looked more like warts than anything else. Silvery smoke billowed out of the creature's nose and swirled back to flow in plumes around its charging feet, and spikes of hair shot back from behind the thing's ears. 

Even if it _had_ been marginally good looking, Kakashi still wouldn't have understood _why_ Harry needed a balloon. The fact that it was revolting only made him question the sanity of his companions further. There had been plenty of other, normal balloons to choose from, so why Harry had to choose the ugliest of them all didn't make any sense. Kakashi found himself fighting the temptation to use a kunai to cut through the purple ribbon connecting the atrocity to his brother's wrist.

The hideous balloon gave an awful bob that made it look even worse as Harry lifted the hand it was connected to, pointing at the raised terrace in front of them, "Look! Hokage-sama!"

Kakashi tore his eyes away from the appalling balloon and looked towards the point of interest. The Sandaime had finally stepped out to the forefront of the terrace and a hush was slowly spreading over the crowd as they anticipated his annual speech.

The speech began as usual, praising the people of the village—shinobi and civilians alike—for their hard work over the year, and entreating them to continue such passionate employment of their skills in the coming year.

This was followed by the first official announcement that a conclusion had been drawn between Konoha and the other villages. Cheers went up throughout the crowd as they learned, without a doubt, that the treaties had gone through and had been signed. There would be peace.

Normally, after a vague update on how the war was progressing, the Sandaime would once again ask for their vigilance in supporting the village, but this year things took a bit of a different turn.

"I have one final announcement," the Sandaime said before anyone could get the idea into them to leave, "The time has come for me to step down as Hokage of Konoha."

Surprised and discontented murmurs rippled over the crowd. The Sandaime, who had ruled during times of peace and times of war was arguably the most beloved Hokage the people of Konoha had.

"Sandaime-sama is retiring?" Rin asked in surprise, echoing the thoughts of the rest of the crowd at large.

"Today I would like to take a moment to introduce you all to my successor," the Third continued, "Most of you are aware of him already, of course, but from today forth he will be known not as the Yellow Flash, but as Namikaze Minato-sama, the Yondaime Hokage."

The shock and disbelief turned abruptly to cheers as the Fourth stepped out on the terrace next to his predecessor. The Yellow Flash was a well known name, indeed, and a pivotal force in their victory in war. It was clear that the citizens of Konoha couldn't have thought of a better candidate for Hokage.

They fell quiet again as Minato spoke, his own voice projecting over the crowd almost as effectively as the Third's—Kakashi wondered whether there was some jutsu involved.

"Thank you, everyone," he started, his face set seriously for this occasion, "I am honored by your trust in me, and will do my best to protect Konoha... Even with my life."

As he fell silent, cheers once again broke out among the crowd.


	16. Safe Haven

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto or Harry Potter... and I'm beginning to see why some people just put these in their first chapter...

So, my cousin who's in the Navy has leave this week. He just got here late last night, so I spent most of the day visiting with him since we were quite close as kids. Anyway, that's why this chapters a little later than usual. Actually, you're all lucky that I managed to update today at all. But the next week is going to keep being busy, so I figured I should get it up as soon as possible. Hopefully you'll all like it.

I'd like to add a brief warning about this chapter... There's virtually no Kakashi. I was very disappointed when I noticed this, but that's the way it goes sometimes. He'll be back next chapter. Also, Kushina's a bit... moody in this chapter. But that's only to be expected, from what I understand. It's also the first time we've really seen her when she isn't around a young child. People tend to act a bit differently when they're with friends of their own age versus when they're interracting with little kids.

I took a lot of liberty with the unknown events surrounding Orochimaru's expulsion from the village... A _lot_ of liberty. Let me know what you think!

Update: Thanks to waiting4morning for pointing out a few things to me in this chapter, I've made some small changes. waiting4morning also pointed out that Anko should be able to summon snakes at this time, too, but I've chosen to leave that part as it is. It's not that they don't realize Anko can summon snakes, as well, it's more that they don't think a 12-year-old girl would be behind this.

Chapter 16 – Safe Haven 

"They've decided to keep him," McGonagall reported sharply as she entered the office, a cross expression on her face.

Dumbledore sighed in relief, "Thank you, Minerva, that's one thing off my mind."

The woman scowled, "You're actually going to leave him there? I've been watching them, Albus, they won't do Harry any good."

"The protection will only work while he is with his family," Dumbledore said with the weariness of someone who'd said as much many times before, "We've already discussed this. He will be safest with the Dursleys."

McGonagall sighed, "I know," she agreed, "But I don't like it. What if those... _muggles_ mistreat him?"

"Arabella will look after him," Dumbledore replied, "She's already agreed. If things become too out of hand, we will remove him, but I hardly think anything the Dursleys do could be as bad as what would happen if Voldemort's followers got their hands on the boy."

McGonagall had to agree with that, "It just doesn't seem fair," she sighed, "He's had a hard life already, he deserves to be brought up where people care about him, rather than simply tolerate him."

"I won't argue with you there, Minerva," Dumbledore agreed somberly, "But there is still much for young Harry to accomplish. Coddling him too much will do more harm than good. We must protect him, yes, but no more than is necessary..."

* * *

Minato hovered nervously over Kushina's shoulder as she emptied her stomach into the toilet in her apartment. 

"Are you sure you're fine, 'Shina?" He asked with concern.

The woman spat once more into the bowl and turned her head to glare at him, eyes a little watery, "Don't call me that," she snapped before getting to her feet and gulping down the glass of water he pushed into her hand, "And I'm _fine_," she added stubbornly.

"Funny," the blond mused sarcastically, "But usually when people are… _fine_, they don't spend their mornings waking up suddenly just to vomit up everything they've eaten in the last twenty-four hours."

"Ha, ha," Kushina retorted dryly, giving him the glass back and then pushing past him in the doorway to throw herself down on her couch, dropping her head into one hand, "I'm _fine_," she emphasized again as Minato joined her, still looking worried, "It's just… a flu or something. Besides, it's not that bad."

The man raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

Kushina continued, oblivious, "I just throw up after I eat… or when I think about eating… or in the morning even if I haven't eaten." She groaned and leaned her head back on the couch, "Minato… I think I'm dying."

The man looked sincerely worried for a moment before he grinned, instead, sitting beside her, "I highly doubt _that_," he commented with forced lightness, "You're too stubborn to die." He reached out a hand to touch her forehead, "Besides, you don't even feel warm. It's probably a bug you contracted on one of your missions… let's see, how long has this been going on?"

The woman glanced at him, then away, mumbling something inarticulate.

"What was that?" Minato asked in confusion.

"None of your damn business, I said," the woman grumbled.

Minato rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "Look, I think you should stop by the hospital…"

"I'm not going to the _hospital_ for a stupid _stomach bug_," Kushina retorted, glowering at him.

"But it might be a symptom of something more serious!" Minato insisted. He frowned at the woman's stubborn expression and added, "You know, I _could_ order you to go…"

Kushina's look was positively deadly, "Do that, Namikaze, and I'll never speak to you again."

Minato gave an exasperated sigh, "Kushiiiinaaaa."

The woman ignored his whine, "Why does it matter, anyway? I can work around it on missions, so it isn't that big of a deal. Besides, it's not like _you're_ the one puking out your brains every time you eat ramen." The blond looked suitably horrified at the thought.

"Okay, okay," he agreed tactfully, "If you really don't want to go that much—"

"I don't," Kushina inserted darkly.

"Then I can't make you," Minato continued, "But if it doesn't get better in the next week, I won't have a choice as Hokage except to take you off the active duty roster until you're cleared at the hospital. It might be something contagious and you could be infecting your teammates already."

"I hate you," The woman glowered, but reluctantly subsided—if there was anything she wouldn't risk, it was her teammates. She didn't care that much about her own health, but if it came to risking her teammates she would protect them from anything, "Fine, I'll go tomorrow."

"Why not today?" Minato wheedled cheerfully.

"Don't push it," the woman retorted.

* * *

Two days later, at the insistence of her teammates—after she'd nearly thrown up on one of them during a celebratory lunch—Kushina reluctantly walked into the hospital, feeling out of place and in a foul mood. It was just awkward to be there without bleeding all over the place or something. 

Reluctantly she approached the desk and was given a curious look which she returned with a glare before she was directed to room 37 to await the next available doctor.

Twenty minutes later she was sorely tempted to just leave already, but as luck would have it that was exactly when the medic, a middle-aged man who looked far too happy, walked in.

"Ah, hello, Kushina-san," he greeted cheerfully, "What seems to be the problem?"

"Picked up a stomach bug on a mission," she grunted in reply. It was probably those eggs she ate in Waterfall Country.

"Symptoms?" The man asked, leafing through the first few pages of a relatively thick folder.

"What do you think?" Kushina retorted, "I'm throwing up. A lot."

The man looked over the folder at her, then set the papers aside, "I… see," he said carefully, "And when did these symptoms start…?"

The woman shifted awkwardly, not really wanting to admit how long it had been, "They started… a little before the Festival…"

His eyebrows rose, "That long?" He asked, "And you only now came in?"

Kushina scowled, "I'm a shinobi," she stated dryly, "I have a busy schedule."

The doctor rolled his eyes, "Yes, obviously too busy to give any concern to maintaining your health." He stepped near her, hands already forming seals. "I'd like to perform a brief diagnostic scan," he explained.

The woman nodded, well used to these kinds of things, and lay back on the examination table. Hands glowing slightly with a green aura, the man began a slow scan of her body—paying particular attention to her stomach region. When he finished he went back to the folder, jotting down notes near the back.

Kushina regarded him nervously for a moment, "Well?" She prompted, "Do you know what it is? It's not… contagious, is it?"

He turned back to her, an unnerving smile on his lips, "No, no, nothing like that Kushina-san," he assured her, "In fact, I can safely say that there is no way for you to pass this along to anyone else." He chuckled a little.

Kushina's relief was short lived as her eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Then what is it?"

"Not a stomach bug," he answered elusively, and chuckled again, "Although I suppose it wouldn't be too inaccurate to call it as much."

Kushina glowered at him, "Get to the point."

"If you insist," the medic allowed, "You're pregnant."

Kushina stared at him dully for a moment, disbelieving, "… What?" She asked at last.

He remained cheerful, "Congratulations, Kushina-san, you're pregnant."

"No," the woman said bluntly, "I'm not. Check again."

The man snorted, "I could check again, but the results were quite clear."

Kushina was shaking her head stubbornly.

"I realize it's not an easy thing for a Jounin to go through," the man noted sympathetically, "But it's not the end of your career. Plenty of kunoichi continue working up until a month before the birth, and they can return shortly after, as well."

Kushina groaned as she realized she couldn't just deny it and make it not exist. Minato was going to _kill_ her. "Okay," she acknowledged with a forced calm, "Right, this is a good thing…" She didn't sound very convincing, "How long will the… sickness last?" She could hardly believe she was having _morning sickness_.

"Not long," the doctor assured her, "It's only a temporary state and will pass naturally long before you have the baby… another two months, probably."

The woman's mouth dropped open, "_Two months_?" She demanded, "I can't be sick every day for the next _two months_! Isn't there some way to stop it?"

"Well," the man scratched the back of his head, "I think there are some techniques to… er, make it more _regular_. You'd really have to talk with a specialist about that, Kushina-san."

"A… specialist," Kushina repeated faintly—she'd never seen a specialist a day in her life.

"I'll give you a name," the man offered, ripping a sheet of paper off a nearby pad, "Really, you should have come in much earlier, then this would already be taken care of…"

* * *

"Can we go to the park now?" Harry asked hopefully, pulling one of his sandals on as Minato got ready to leave for the morning. Over the last month, things had fallen into a routine in which the newly appointed Yondaime Hokage made a point of eating breakfast at the apartment at _least_ on the weekdays—partially because more often than not he wasn't welcome at Kushina's apartment these days as she became more and more temperamental. 

Kakashi was gone today, still on a mission and not expected to return for a few more days, and the last time Kushina had been over, she'd told Harry she wouldn't be back for a week or so. So the six-year-old had been left alone the last couple of days, with Minato in the office, and his other usual companions out of town. He was determined not to be left behind again today.

"Oh, um... not today, Harii," the man replied apologetically, "I have a lot of work to do today..."

Harry sagged with disappointment, "I'm alone again?"

Minato looked even more guilty for a moment, then he had a brainstorm and perked up abruptly, "Well, you could do that," he agreed, "Or you _could_ come to the office with me... I won't be able to play with you much, but you can practice reading or something while I do paperwork. At least you wouldn't be here alone then, and we can have lunch together!"

Harry stared at him blankly for a moment, then grinned, pulling his second sandal on, "I'll be with you?!"

The blond grinned widely back, "Yep, all day! Of course, if you get bored, you can always run off to the park or something." He sighed dramatically, "Unfortunately, I'm not so lucky. If I try to run off to the park whenever I get bored people start to yell at me."

Harry frowned bemusedly at him, "Sensei, you're weird."

Minato laughed, "Yeah, well, it's better than being boring, isn't it?"

The six-year-old nodded in agreement—it was much better than being normal. The Dursleys had been normal and they'd been awful. He shuffled guiltily as soon as the thought entered his head and he jumped to his feet, eager to forget it.

"Let's go!" He exclaimed, throwing the door open and leading the way outside.

Minato chuckled as he followed him out, closing the door behind them and amiably allowing the boy to lead the way to his office.

A short way into their walk, Minato pointed Harry's attention up to the Hokage's Monument, where construction had just recently begun on the addition of a fourth face. "You see that?" He asked the boy.

Harry nodded, glancing around self-consciously before frowning at the work bemusedly, "What is it?"

Minato's chest puffed up importantly although he tried to keep the smugness from his tone as he replied, "That's where they're adding the face of the Yondaime."

Harry stared at it for a moment, then looked up at him, frowning a little in confusion, "That's you!"

The man chuckled, "Well, yeah."

"You're going to be a rock?" Harry asked incredulously.

Minato laughed louder and ruffled the boy's hair. "I'm not going to _be _a rock, Harii-kun," he corrected with amusement, "My face is going to be _on_ a rock."

Harry looked back up at the monument again, wondering how the man would actually look on a rock like that. He didn't think sensei really fit in with the other serious faces.

"Maybe we should go look at it sometime," Minato mused, "It's really interesting to watch them work. Most of them have a chakra affinity with earth, and it's pretty much all shaped with jutsu." He looked down at the six-year-old, "How'd you like that? You want to take a look sometime?"

Harry frowned at him, then at the monument again and shook his head, "I don't like it." He looked around the streets again. He still sometimes saw people watching him, and was sure they were thinking about what had happened there.

"Maybe not, then," Minato agreed, even though he really thought it would be good for the boy to confront his fears instead of avoiding them. The incident almost three months ago was far from forgotten, but most people just weren't sure what to think about it, so they chose not to think about it at all. His Top Secret Rumor Killing Technique had worked well.

Besides, people had more interesting things to think about now. Like the end of the war, the retirement of the Third Hokage, and the skirmishes on the border with Cloud.

The six-year-old nodded, then abruptly took off running, looking back at the Yondaime over his shoulder, "Let's hurry, sensei!"

Rolling his eyes and laughing, Minato took off after the boy.

* * *

"Hokage-sama!" A young Chuunin burst into the room suddenly. He faltered for half a second upon seeing Minato, then flushed, bowing briefly, "Ah, Yondaime-sama, I didn't—that is..." He regained his composure with an embarrassed cough and managed to school his expression back to a somber one, "Sir, Katsu and I ran into something unusual on our patrol." 

Minato frowned, glancing once at Harry, who was still thoroughly involved in coloring the pictures in a book that originally wasn't meant to be in color. He looked back at the shinobi, "Something unusual? What is it, Hatsu-san?"

The man shifted uncomfortably, obviously not quite sure how to relay his concerns, "A... boy... in a tree..." He hesitated again, "We think he might be injured."

Harry glanced up at the man curiously while the Yondaime frowned in confusion, "So... what's the problem, exactly? Can't you just bring him to the hospital? Or is there something unusual about boys sitting in trees?" He didn't exactly understand what the man was getting at.

"There's... something unusual about this one," Hatsu replied reluctantly, "He's... well, he's _in_ a tree, Yondaime-sama. I mean, not in the branches, but literally _inside_ the trunk. I don't know how, but it looks like the tree just grew around him."

Minato's eyes widened, "That's impossible!"

"Yeah, but that's what it looks like," the Chuunin insisted, "We can't get him out without chopping it to pieces, and that would be too dangerous as long as the kid's inside."

The Yondaime frowned in thought for a moment, then nodded, "Show me," he ordered, getting to his feet. This was something he had to see for himself.

Harry scrambled to his feet to follow and Minato paused on the way to the door, looking back, "Stay here, Harii-kun," he ordered sternly.

"But," Harry started—the man was already out the door. Frowning, the six-year-old stubbornly ran after him.

It was a tedious affair for the Hokage to explain to his aides—none of whom were convinced he was completely capable—that he was leaving on business and would be back shortly, thus Harry was able to catch up to the man before he'd even made it out of the building. It wasn't until Minato had escaped the stuffy, crowded building that he noticed his shadow, though.

The man frowned back at him with a little irritation. "Harii-kun," he sighed, "I told you to stay inside."

"I want to help!" The little boy insisted. He knew what it was like to be in small, dark places, and thought the boy the shinobi had found was probably afraid. Sensei probably had never been locked inside a cupboard before—he wouldn't understand. Harry frowned up at the man stubbornly.

"Yondaime-sama," Hatsu prompted restlessly, looking back at the pair impatiently.

Minato spent several seconds debating before he let out a resigned sigh, "Fine, but you'll have to stay close. Don't wander off on your own, right?"

Grinning, Harry nodded.

"Come on, then," the man said, holding out a hand, "On my back." Harry had barely grasped the offered hand before he found himself suddenly swung onto the man's back and hurtling over rooftops at breakneck speed, the Yellow Flash moving closely behind the Chuunin.

Within minutes they were out of the village and being greeted by a second Chuunin, who quickly led them to the tree in question. The Yondaime slid Harry from his back to the ground again and moved forward to observe the tree a bit more closely.

It was a small tree compared to the giants towering around it, and the trunk had an odd, bulbous shape to it. The Chuunin walked around it, leading the way to a small crack in the bark. It was about one foot long and two inches thick at the widest point. Minato crouched to peer inside and could just make out glimmering brown orbs watching him from a pale, gaunt face shrouded in shadows.

He smiled at the boy, "Hello there."

The boy jerked back, hiding himself further in the shadows.

The Yondaime looked over his shoulder at the Chuunin, "Has he said anything? Have you been able to communicate with him at all?"

Katsu shook his head, "No, Yondaime-sama, he hasn't responded to anything."

"He can't talk?" Harry asked curiously, trying to get a better look around Minato's form, "Maybe like me?"

Minato looked back at him, an amused smile on his lips, "I don't think so, Harii-kun."

The man looked back at the boy cowering in the tree, a thoughtful frown on his lips as he tried to figure things out. After a minute, he looked back at Harry again, then back at the tree, and at Harry a second time. Slowly, he smiled, "But... maybe you can help after all, Harii."

The six-year-old's eyes lit up, "What?" He asked eagerly—from up close, the little tree looked even more similar to his cupboard, and he was willing to do anything to help the other boy get out.

"Just come and talk to him," Minato said, moving back and gently pushing Harry forward, "See if you can find out his name."

Harry moved up to the crack, spying through the hole as best he could until he spotted the boy crouched inside, wide eyes staring back at him from out of the dark space. Harry glanced nervously over his shoulder, suddenly self-conscious at being watched. Not to mention that he still wasn't completely fluent in this language. Still, he had to help if he could.

He leaned closer, bowing his head and hunching his shoulders in an attempt to block the adults out, "Hi," he said quietly, feeling a little awkward and embarrassed at suddenly being the center of attention, "I'm... My name's Harry."

The boy continued to stare owlishly at him from within the dark confines of the tree trunk. Harry shifted awkwardly and glanced behind him again—Minato nodded encouragingly at him. He turned back to the tree.

"Er... why are you in a tree?" He asked, a little curious and a little bemused.

"... Safe," the unexpected word was muffled by the tree, weak and rough from apparent disuse.

Harry nodded seriously—it was just like how he'd spent the last half of the last school year hiding behind the dumpsters during recess. That way he hadn't had to deal with Dudley's bullying or the odd stares the other kids gave him. He tilted his head, "From someone bad?" He asked, wondering if the other boy was hiding from a bully, too.

The boy stared back at him mutely.

Harry shifted a little, "What's your name?" He asked awkwardly.

Again, the boy didn't answer.

Harry glanced over his shoulder again, then shuffled closer, so his face was almost pressed right up to the crack, "It feels safe in small places," he told the other boy confidentially, "But it feels safe with people, too... some people." He chewed his lower lip for a moment before providing, "Like Kakashi-niisan and sensei."

"... Niisan...?" The other boy repeated softly, shifting a bit inside of his hollow, too.

Harry nodded again, "He's really my niisan, too. He protects me from the bad people."

They were both silent for several long minutes. Harry wasn't sure what else to say, a little unnerved at carrying on such a one-sided conversation when he usually stuck to short phrases and one or two word answers.

Then another quiet word came out of the dark, "... Tenzou."

Harry blinked, frowning slightly, "What does that mean?"

The brown eyes blinked slowly and the boy answered, "My name... My name's Tenzou."

Harry blinked again, then grinned, "Pleased to meet you, Tenzou," he said politely, feeling almost giddy—he'd done it! "Maybe..." He hesitated and looked at the other boy uncertainly, "Maybe we can be friends...?"

Silence met his suggestion and the boy's enthusiasm dropped again.

"We... don't have to be," he offered nervously.

Tenzou shook his head slightly and quietly admitted, "I don't understand."

Harry frowned, "What?"

"I don't..." The boy shifted again in the dark, "What are friends?"

Harry smiled slightly, "Oh. Friends are... good." He frowned thoughtfully, "It means..." He thought back to the kids he sometimes played with at the park, and the relationship Kakashi and Rin shared, and Rin and Obito before the other boy had died, "We help each other."

"Friends..." The other boy mused thoughtfully, "With... me?"

"Yeah," Harry confirmed brightly, "It'll be... fun. You can meet my other friends."

Tenzou shrunk back into the shadows again, "Those... big people?"

Harry frowned in bemusement, "Sensei's big," he confirmed, "But he's nice."

Tenzou didn't reply.

Harry frowned and straightened a little, "It's okay, Tenzou. He's not bad. And we're friends now, I'll help you."

"... Stand back," Tenzou said.

Frowning in bemusement, Harry stepped back.

"How'd it go, Harii-kun?" The Yondaime asked as the boy approached them again, still looking at the tree, "Did you find out his name?"

Harry nodded, "Tenzou. He said stand back."

The man blinked in confusion, but didn't have much time to wonder at the meaning of those words before something began to happen. It started out small—the leaves in the branches rustled as though blown by the wind. There was no wind.

And then it started to creak and moan, becoming louder and louder as the branches began to twist and move and shudder and _shrink_. The four figures stared in surprise and disbelief; the tree was _growing_ backwards, faster once it got started, until it had completely disappeared into the earth, leaving a small boy only a few inches taller than Harry huddled where it had been.

The boy looked up, staring with wide brown eyes that appeared bruised from all the discoloration around them. His skin was pale to the point of translucency in the few places it was clean, but otherwise it was dark with ingrained dirt and dried blood. His hair was dark and thin and wild, and his entire body was painfully thin, bones and muscle clearly visible on his arms and legs, and cheeks sunken unnatural for such a young child. He wore only a large, baggy black shirt, torn and worn and as filthy as the rest of him.

But the boy's appearance wasn't the first thing that struck the shinobi. While Harry was staring at his physical condition, the others were staring for a completely different reason.

"Mokuton," Hatsu whispered in disbelief.

"Impossible," Katsu whispered numbly, "That bloodline died out with the Shodai."

"And yet it's the only explanation," the Yondaime put in thoughtfully.

Harry frowned at the adults, then at the frightened boy, crouched in the clearing and watching them warily. He took a careful step forward and held out his hand, smiling, "Hi, Tenzou."

The boy's wide eyes moved from the adults to him, and his mouth twitched slightly, looking from the hand to the younger boy's smiling face.

"Take it," Harry encouraged, "I'll help you up."

Tenzou blinked at him again before hesitantly taking his hand and allowing Harry to help him to his feet. "Harii," he said.

Harry smiled and nodded, then gestured at the people behind him, "And that's sensei and... um... two other people."

Tenzou looked at them, eyes wary again.

Minato broke out of his surprised stupor first and carefully approached the pair, mindful of the boy's obvious fear. He smiled and paused when the boy tensed, then lowered himself into a crouch so he wasn't so intimidating to the small child, "Hello, Tenzou-kun, I'm pleased to finally meet you."

Tenzou glanced at Harry again, then back at him, "Sensei," he acknowledged uncertainly.

The Yondaime blushed and rubbed the back of his head, "My name's Namikaze Minato," he supplied, "But you can call me sensei if you want, I guess. Harii-kun does, too, after all."

"Tenzou is away from the bad people," Harry supplied helpfully.

Minato frowned slightly with concern, "What bad people? Tenzou-kun?"

"That... man," Tenzou shuddered, wrapping skinny arms around himself, eyes on the ground.

"What man?" Minato asked again, "Do you know his name?"

Tenzou shook his head.

Harry frowned, "Why are bad people after you?" He wondered, "Is it because... of what you can do...?" He looked at where the tree had shrunk down to a moment before, disconcertingly reminded of the way his aunt and uncle had treated him because of what _he_ could do.

Tenzou's head remained bowed as he answered softly, "I don't know... There were lots of us, before..."

Minato's eyes widened in alarm, "There are more kids, you mean?" He asked with concern—more kids being mistreated like this one obviously was?

Slowly, the boy shook his head again, "They... were failed experiments... I'm the only one that made it out."

"Experiments...?" The Hokage repeated faintly, sickened by what he was hearing.

"Yondaime-sama, look out!" One of the Chuunin called out suddenly and the man turned around quickly, just in time to see the tail end of a snake dodging rapidly around a series of kunai thrown at it and disappearing between his legs. Eyes wide, he turned around again—the snake sped through the grass, on a rapid course to the frightened boy staring at it with wide eyes.

"No!" Harry cried out in alarm as the snake sped towards his new friend—he'd seen a snake in the garden once, and when he'd told his uncle about it later, the man warned him that he'd best be careful because one bite from the thing could kill him. "Stop!"

To his surprise, the snake did just that, coming to an abrupt stop less than a foot in front of Tenzou. Slowly, its head came up and swiveled around, beady little eyes staring straight at Harry. Harry didn't notice that everyone else had turned to stare at him, too, his attention was on the snake as its next action surprised him even more than its sudden appearance.

"Who iss it that presumessss to tell me what to do?" It demanded; and Harry understood. He goggled at the snake—he'd understood _completely_—could snakes speak English?

"I..." Harry faltered uncertainly, "I didn't know snakes could talk," he admitted awkwardly.

The snake let out a long hiss, then spoke again, "Of course we can talk." Harry thought it sounded offended.

"Sorry," he muttered, "But... please, don't kill him—he's my friend."

The snake seemed to regard him for a moment, "I mussst," it said at length, "I was commanded to do ssso."

"Commanded?" Harry repeated in confusion, "By who?"

"My massster, the one who ssigned the Blood Oath," the snake replied, slithering around again to face Tenzou.

Harry started in alarm, "Wait!" He called out again.

The snake paused but didn't look back, "Do not disrupt me again, child."

"But, you can't!" Harry cried desperately.

The snake slithered forward again, but before it could really get started, a black blade suddenly staked it to the ground. The reptile writhed in pain and Harry cringed, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Sss—the sspeaker! Traitor! Betrayed usssss!" The snake's incoherent, pained voice seemed unusually loud in the six-year-old's ears.

"Harii!" Minato shouted.

The boy's eyes snapped open and he let out a yelp in surprise to see that the angry snake—sans half of his tail, which was still pinned to the ground—was surging towards him, still letting out an angry litany of words and accusations.

A jerk on the back of his shirt yanked him out of the way and the snake slithered away, another kunai flying after it.

Harry twisted his head around when he heard Minato curse quietly behind him, still holding his shirt with one hand.

The clearing was still and quiet in the aftermath of the snake's escape and Harry's heart rate slowly returned to normal as he was released to stand on his own. He glanced tentatively around at the others, wondering what they would make of the talking snake.

"... Hatsu-san, Katsu-san," Minato started, staring straight at Harry as he spoke and not looking at the others at all, "Please leave us alone for a moment..." He hesitated, glancing at Tenzou, then dismissed the boy's presence—it was unlikely he would gain anything by sending that boy away. He looked back at Harry, frowning as he heard the two shinobi disappear as they'd been ordered.

"Harii-kun... how did you do that?" The man asked at last, choosing his words carefully to be as non-threatening as possible. _Magic_ that allowed him to transport from one place to another, Minato could understand, but talking with snakes was another thing entirely. Was it possible the Sandaime had been wrong? Had the Snake Demon been sealed inside this boy? If he could use it to speak to snakes, what else could he use it for?

Harry frowned back, eyebrows drawn together in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"That snake," the man said tightly, "How did you... _talk_ to it like that?"

"Oh," Harry's expression lightened, although he still looked a little confused, "It can talk English."

Minato frowned, recognizing the word as Harry's mother tongue, "Harii-kun," he said sternly, "You weren't speaking the same language you spoke with Sandaime-sama before."

Harry stared up at him bemusedly, "What... do you mean?"

Minato frowned deeper, wondering if it was really possible for Harry to not realize what he'd been doing, "The snake was not speaking like a human," he told Harry firmly, "You were speaking like a snake."

Harry's face screwed up in confusion, "What... No I didn't."

The Yondaime stared at him for a moment, then stepped towards him, "You and I are going to have a talk with the Sandaime," he said sternly.

Tenzou abruptly shouldered between the two, frowning up at Minato with a guarded expression. Minato frowned back at him.

"Tenzou!" Harry exclaimed in confusion, "What are you doing?"

The older boy glanced back at him, "Helping you," he stated bluntly, "Like you helped me."

Harry blinked in confusion.

"You tried to stop the snake, didn't you?" Tenzou asked.

Harry nodded, still confused.

"I won't let the big person hurt you," Tenzou said firmly before he turned back to the Yondaime. He paused for a moment, then bent his legs a little to get in a firmer stance and put his hands together in a seal, shoulders heaving with a slow, deep breath.

Minato almost groaned in frustration, "I'm not going to hurt him," he snapped, "There are things that must be explained, and I will have their explanations, that is all."

Tenzou frowned up at him distrustfully, "You're angry," he accused.

"I'm surprised," Minato retorted, "I don't like being confused about something like this."

"I won't let you hurt him," Tenzou repeated firmly, "He's my friend."

Harry looked between his two friends with confusion. Tenzou obviously didn't trust sensei, but Harry felt like he could trust him—and the man had always been nice to him. Even after he'd found out what he'd done on the cliff.

"Tenzou," he interrupted softly, "Thank you, but he won't hurt me... he isn't a bad person."

"He's big," Tenzou retorted, "We can't trust him, Harii."

"But there are good and bad adults," Harry reasoned, "Like there are good and bad kids."

Tenzou studied the man in front of him carefully. He had to admit, he didn't look particularly threatening, but some of the others had seemed nice enough, at first. He shuddered slightly and looked over his shoulder again, dark eyes piercing into Harry's green, "You trust him?"

Harry nodded.

Reluctantly, Tenzou relaxed his stance and moved aside slightly, sharp eyes still fixed on the adult. Minato smiled tightly at him and looked back at Harry.

"Well, let's go," he sighed, "Tenzou-kun will come, too. He'll need to go to the hospital, but I'd like to talk to Sarutobi-sama first."

When he turned to head back to the village, Harry was the first to follow him, with Tenzou soon hurrying to catch up with his friend. The two boys were forced to walk very quickly to keep up with the man's pace, and the Yondaime only paused briefly to order the two Chuunin to continue their patrol and report back at his office once they were done.

"Sensei," Harry started, jogging a few steps to close the distance between the two, "What's a..." He frowned uncertainly, realizing all of a sudden that he wasn't entirely sure how to say what the snake was talking about, "Blood... something?"

The man blinked, glancing back at him with confusion, "A... bloodline, you mean?" He prompted.

Harry shook his head, frowning, "No... it was something else."

"What was?" Minato asked.

"The snake said... um, his boss," Harry started uncertainly, "He had a blood... something."

Minato stopped abruptly, turning to look at him with wide eyes, "The snake was sent by someone?" He'd suspected it based on the reptile's attack pattern, but since it got away there hadn't been any proof, "Did it say who?"

Harry nodded, "The, um... the person who wrote his name on the blood thing."

The Yondaime's eyes widened, "Blood Pact," he supplied numbly. That could only mean one person—and as questionable a source as a snake was, it made sense, in a twisted, horrible sort of way. Something about Orochimaru had always made him uneasy—he'd only met the man for the first time a few years ago, some time after he'd made Jounin, but even at that first meeting he'd felt there was something unsettling about him. Of course, he was a powerful shinobi and back then he'd passed it off as war trauma—at the time, Orochimaru was probably the only nin of the same generation that had killed more people than the White Fang.

He turned abruptly, "This matter has just become more serious," he told the two children in clipped words, "We must hurry."

* * *

They met the Sandaime in his house after a long, complicated walk through town. Tenzou had been tense and jumpy and _amazed_ the entire way. Harry had taken his hand shortly after they entered the village, which seemed to relax the other boy a little, and he tried to stop and stare at everything—while keeping a wary eye on the strangers around them, of course. 

Luckily, people were more than content to simply stare at the strange party from a distance and preferred not to approach. Even Minato's natural charisma didn't draw them near with the mismatch of boys he had on his heels.

It was one of the larger homes in the village, and the door was answered by a teenage boy who looked cross. He grudgingly led them upstairs to the patio where Sarutobi stood looking over the village. He turned in surprise when the boy announced that the Yondaime was there, and his eyes widened in further surprise when he saw who the man had brought with him.

"Sarutobi-sama," Minato started bluntly, "We need to talk."

The man looked between the two boys and nodded, ushering them back inside to his sitting room and neglecting to offer tea in observance of the urgency of matters at hand.

Noticing the glances the older man kept shooting at Tenzou, Minato took the opportunity to open with him, "Sandaime, this is Tenzou," he explained, "Apparently the only known user of Mokuton since the Shodai Hokage."

Sarutobi's eyes widened as he regarded the sickly youth, "Impossible..."

"He said something about experiments," Minato continued seriously. He gave the older man a severe look as he continued, "Sarutobi-sama, I believe Orochimaru has been conducting experiments on humans."

"No..." The man protested, first in a whisper and then louder, "No, Orochimaru would not do that."

Minato frowned, "Do you know of anyone else who has signed a blood pact with the snakes?"

Sarutobi didn't respond.

"A snake came after him," Minato continued, "Presumably to kill him for escaping. It was one of Orochimaru's snakes."

The Sandaime set his jaw and looked up with a stubborn flash in his old, brown eyes, "How can you be sure it was one of his?" He demanded.

Minato frowned, "That brings me to my second point. Sarutobi-sama, Harii-kun seems to be able to talk to snakes."

Harry shifted nervously as the older man looked at him sharply, eyes showing surprise. Tenzou took his hand and Harry looked at him in surprise, then smiled his thanks.

"I... didn't know," he defended awkwardly, turning his attention back to the adults, "I just... wanted to stop it."

"More... wizard techniques?" Sarutobi asked uncertainly.

Harry's eyes widened, "I'm—I'm not a wizard!" He switched into English unconsciously as he continued, "I can't do ma—well, I can't do weird stuff like that! It was an accident!"

The Sandaime frowned at him bemusedly, and switched tongues in like so he was sure the boy would understand, "I was told you are a wizard," replied calmly, "And I was also told it is quite normal for young wizards to perform bits of accidental magic as they grow up."

Harry jolted to his feet abruptly, tearing his hand away from his startled friend, "No! I don't—I mean, I don't do stuff like that! I can't control it—it just happens! It's not my fault!"

"Relax, Harii," the old man said with a frown, "We know it's not your fault. Please calm down, you're startling Tenzou-kun."

Harry looked back at Tenzou in surprise—the boy's eyes were wide with fear and Harry flushed a little apologetically. The Sandaime turned back to Minato.

"I don't believe we have to worry about Harii-kun speaking to snakes," he stated, "It was most likely another accident, and probably won't happen again."

Minato frowned, "I thought _magic_ allowed him to transport places..."

"It does much more than that," Sarutobi told him, "Much, much more, from what I understand. I would wager that this has only been another bout of accidental magic to save his new friend."

Minato nodded slowly, still looking uncertain, "Then we can assume what the snake told him was true."

Sarutobi frowned.

As Harry meekly returned his seat, feeling embarrassed and flustered, Tenzou leaned closer to him.

"What is majikku?" He asked curiously, "That's what let you talk to the snake?"

Harry looked down and shrugged uncomfortably, "It's... something bad," he whispered back, "And... I don't know. Hokage-sama is smart, so I think it is... maybe."

Tenzou frowned in confusion, "It didn't seem bad... you helped me with it."

"Yeah... but it's not normal," Harry said with some frustration. He knew magic was bad—it was something they didn't talk about in the Dursely's house, not unless his uncle and aunt were yelling at him about it, at least.

Tenzou's lips twitched again, "It's not normal to grow trees, either."

Harry looked at him, a small smile crossing his lips—he'd never seen anyone else do that. "Is that magic, too?"

"Everyone calls it Mokuton," Tenzou replied, "But maybe it's a kind of magic."

"Maybe," Harry agreed thoughtfully, "Do you think... it's bad? Really?"

Tenzou shook his head, "My trees are good," he said confidently, "And talking to snakes is, too, if it helps people."

Harry smiled slightly and slowly admitted, "I... can do other things, too."

Tenzou tilted his head curiously, "Like what?"

"Teleport," Harry supplied, using the term he'd heard for it before, "Move from one place to another... I did it once..." He lowered his voice even further to add, "But it made a lot of people mad."

Tenzou frowned in confusion, "Why? I wish I could do that. I could've gotten away sooner."

Their conversation was interrupted when the Sandaime stood up abruptly, an angry expression on his face, "I will settle this, Minato," he said sternly, "Lend me a hunter-nin and I will find my student and deal with him accordingly."

The Yondaime stood, as well, frowning seriously, "Are you sure that is wise, Sarutobi-sama? You were his teacher—if he is really doing this, will you be able to destroy him?"

The Sandaime looked back at him levelly, "It is because I was his teacher that I must," he said seriously, "Take care of Tenzou-kun, and I will take care of Orochimaru."

Reluctantly, the Fourth nodded, "You should leave immediately. We don't know if that snake told him anything."


	17. A New Start

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: As I've been saying for the last sixteen chapters, I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter. I do hope that by now you're beginning to get the point.

Thanks for the reviews, everyone, they're greatly appreciated! Sorry I'm a little late on this chapter, sudden changes in my schedule made a delay unavoidable. But it isn't too late! Kakashi's back in this chapter. More importantly--it's time to find out what exactly happened to those Dursleys...

Three notes: Konoha's school year is based off of a mutilated version of the Japanese school year, thus the half-days on Saturdays. And on translations; tenketsu are the chakra openings in the body. Also, language test rankings are based off of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, in which level 4 is for beginners and level 1 is for experts.

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 17 – A New Start 

"Mum! I'm ready!" Dudley's voice shouted from upstairs.

"Come down and show your father, Sweetums," Aunt Petunia's shrill voice called back.

Dudley's reply came in the way of heavy footsteps thundering down the stairs. Harry Potter looked up at his low ceiling and cringed—the light bulb was swinging on its wire and dust fell like rain. As Dudley's footsteps disappeared into the living room, Harry could hear his aunt and uncle's praises of how smart he looked in his new school clothes.

The six-year-old looked down at his own hand-me-downs, courtesy of his much larger cousin, and frowned. School was set to begin in a week's time—Dudley was excited to get back to the friends he'd made in kindergarten the year before. Harry was dreading it. He'd have to deal with the invasive questions of teachers and staff who thought he looked too small and wondered why his clothes didn't fit when his cousin was always well-dressed.

Last year, he'd found that school was a little better than his aunt and uncle's house, but his classmates looked at him strangely, and his cousin scared off any of them that behaved friendly towards him.

The boy's ears perked up slightly as he heard the doorbell ring. They weren't expecting any guests—not as far as he knew. If they had been, his uncle probably would have locked his door.

The doorbell rang a second and third time in quick succession and Uncle Vernon's voice boomed out that he was coming. Curious, Harry stood and cracked his cupboard door open slightly—just enough for him to peer out.

From this vantage point, the six-year-old could just make out his uncle's large form stop before the front door. He watched as the man smoothed down his hair and opened the door. He couldn't see who it was—it was dark outside and his uncle blocked most of the doorway, anyway—but it obviously wasn't anyone his uncle had been expecting.

"What... What is this?!" The man demanded, sounding flustered and angry, "Who are you people? What are you doing in front of my house?"

"Shut up, muggle," a voice responded sharply and Harry saw his uncle take a blundering step backwards, "Where is the Potter boy?"

Harry blinked in surprise, his eyes going wide. They were here for him? Why? Who was it? Some long lost relative? Maybe a friend of his parents! But... whoever it was didn't sound very friendly.

"Wh—there's no Potter here!" His uncle sounded more flustered than Harry had ever heard, "I don't know what you're talking about! Get off of my property—the lot of you!" And with that, Uncle Vernon slammed the door in their faces. He was still muttering as he turned, and Harry shut his door a little more, so he barely had a sliver of light to see out of. His uncle's face was very red and visibly disturbed.

"Vernon, is everything alright?" Aunt Petunia's voice came from the sitting room.

"Fine, dear," the man replied, still sounding noticeably flustered.

The sound of a loud explosion took Harry's attention back to the door, eyes wide. The front door was flying off its hinges and slammed onto the floor. Uncle Vernon turned abruptly, face paling, and stumbled further backwards, looking unsure of whether he should confront these people again or simply run away.

"N-now see here!" The man blustered, holstering as much of his courage as he could.

"Vernon!" Aunt Petunia's voice was louder, and obviously fearful—Harry guessed she'd opened the door from the sitting room. Her presence seemed to give his uncle a little more courage.

Uncle Vernon straightened, frowning towards the door, "You can't just break into private property like that!" He roared, "Petunia, get inside and call the police!"

But Aunt Petunia didn't move from the sitting room doorway, she stared at the forms entering their house with terror and her voice was unusually high with fear as she stammered, "Th-they're _th-those_ people, Vernon!"

Harry took a second look at _those_ people as they appeared in the hall. There were four of them, dressed in long black robes. Their faces were hooded and he couldn't make them out, but each of them held a long, thin stick, and held it in front of them as though pointing at something.

Uncle Vernon was retreating again, backing towards the doorway his wife and son stood in, "N-now see here!" He stammered, "I—I won't have any of _your_ kind in my house! G-get the lot of you out!"

The strangers continued a steady approach and Uncle Vernon shoved his wife and son into the sitting room, following after them so he could barricade the door from the other side.

Harry held his breath, hoping not to be noticed as he watched the strangers approach the door. One of them raised its stick and flicked it down at the door.

"Confringo," the man said, and the door suddenly burst from its hinges, exploding into the room along with the couch and other things that had been pushed in front of it. Harry heard surprised shouts from his family, but he couldn't see what was happening as the strange men began to enter the room.

Harry debated going after them as loud voices wafted out of the next room. Whatever was happening, his uncle obviously wasn't happy about it. His curiosity won out and the boy slipped out of the cupboard and crept to the door of the living room, peering around the door frame just in time to see one of the strangers flicking his stick at his uncle.

Harry's eyes widened in horror as his uncle's body split open in several places, spraying blood. The man howled in pain and Aunt Petunia screamed, covering her mouth and recoiling away from her husband in shock. Dudley was changing to an interesting, pale green color as he stared at his father, and Harry felt his own face draining of blood, queasiness upsetting his stomach.

"Do you really intend to sacrifice your life and your family for that boy?" The cloaked man demanded, scowling at the muggle—Uncle Vernon was hugging himself, trying to keep the flow of blood to a minimum. "Where is Potter?"

There was an awful retching sound and Harry tore his eyes away from his uncle to see his cousin emptying his stomach on the carpet, tears running down his chubby cheeks. His aunt was shaking, a long fingered hand rubbing her son's back absently as she stared at four men with terror.

Harry stumbled away from the doorway in shock as realization suddenly hit him. These people were looking for him—they were hurting his family because of him. Even though he didn't like them much, he didn't want to see them hurt like this.

"Wh-what should I do?" He whispered to himself, leaning against the wall of the hall, "Should I... should I just go in...?"

He peeked back inside. One of the cloaked men was approaching his uncle. With a flick of the stick he held, Uncle Vernon was suspended in the air, blood dripping onto the floor as he stared back at the figure, face twisted with horror and pain.

"Where is he, muggle?" The stranger demanded coldly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Vernon grumbled, voice weaker than usual.

The stranger glanced back at one of the others, who raised his wand and pointed it at Aunt Petunia. The woman paled, edging in front of her son protectively.

"Crucio," the second figure hissed with a minute flick of the stick he held.

Harry's eyes widened in horror as a pain filled screech broke out from his aunt's mouth, high and terrible. It hurt his ears and he shook in fear as his aunt writhed on the floor, screaming and clenching her fingers in the carpet, and he looked away, leaning against the hall wall again as tears sprang to his eyes, barely able to breathe past the lump that had formed in his throat.

His aunt's screams finally died out and he peeked inside again. The woman was still lying on the floor, shaking. Dudley was crying and shaking, huddled next to the wall, obviously terrified. Uncle Vernon was screaming at the strangers to stop, but he quieted down as he realized he didn't have to compete with his wife's cries anymore.

"Now, tell me what I want to know," the man demanded again, returning his eyes to Uncle Vernon. "Where is the Potter boy?"

* * *

Five days passed before Harry was allowed to see his new friend. He'd been to the hospital enough to see Rin that he knew the way well. The woman at the front desk told him the room number he was looking for, and Harry quickly made his way there, anxious of the condition of his friend. 

He cracked the door open slowly, peering into the room uncertainly until his eyes found the bed.

"Harii," a voice acknowledged almost immediately. Harry smiled a little and stepped fully inside.

"Hi, Tenzou," he greeted, staring at the boy on the bed. He looked better already, without all the blood and dirt, although his skin was still extremely pale, and his arms and face very thin. A bag was hanging on a hook next to him, a thin tube trailing down from it to end in a needle stuck into his arm.

Tenzou followed the younger boy's gaze to his arm, "It's food," he supplied.

Harry blinked in confusion, "What?"

"But you don't eat it," Tenzou added, "It goes straight inside, instead."

"It doesn't look like food," Harry commented.

"I get to eat regular food, too," Tenzou said, "But only at certain times. The doctor said I'm too skinny."

Harry nodded, walking over to him, "You're even more skinny than me, and sensei says that about me, too."

"I was in a different room before today," Tenzou informed him, "But only the doctors came to see me then."

"They wouldn't let me visit until today," Harry agreed.

"Your sensei visited me," Tenzou added, "Just before they moved me here. He said the bad person was gone, and that they were able to help a lot of other people he was doing experiments on." His lips twitched and he added, "He said they might never have known if it wasn't for me and you."

"They caught him?" Harry asked, "The snake man?"

Tenzou nodded. Harry thought he looked pleased, even though he wasn't smiling.

"What are you going to do now?" Harry asked curiously.

"I have to stay here longer," Tenzou replied, "And after that, sensei said I have to go to the Academy."

Harry's eyes widened and he grinned, "You're going to the Academy? Me, too!"

The other boy looked surprised and relieved at the same time, "You are? I thought it was someplace bad—sensei said he didn't think I should go, but the elders said I have to."

"It's not bad," Harry assured him quickly, "Kakashi-niisan and sensei went there, too. And Kushina-san, too. It's where you learn to shinobi."

Tenzou still looked confused, but he ignored it, "If you're there, too, it should be okay."

Harry nodded, "And I'll visit you every day until then," he declared, "We can practice together."

* * *

Being Hokage offered a man a certain respect and authority, Kakashi found. Even the most self-respectful, pompous shinobi would eventually bow to the Hokage's will. Which was why, two months into the new year, Kakashi found himself in the personal training grounds within the Uchiha Complex, staring down the most arrogant of the clan. 

Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head, looked extremely displeased with the task he'd been pushed into volunteering for. The tall man stood stonily as Kakashi approached, arms crossed over his wide chest.

"Hatake Kakashi," the man acknowledged coldly.

With a reluctance that rivaled the Uchiha's, Kakashi bowed shallowly, "Uchiha Fugaku-sama," he replied with forced politeness, "Thank you for having me."

The man continued to frown down at him, jaw set like stone, "One of the perks of being the Hokage's student," he drawled, making sure to leave no doubt in Kakashi's mind as to why he was there.

The two Jounin stared coolly at each other for almost a minute before the man turned his back, "We'll start with activation and deactivation," he started coldly, turning abruptly to glare back at the teen. "Show me what you can do, _Hatake_."

"We can skip this lesson," Kakashi replied coolly, reaching up to his hitai-ate, "This eye remains active continually, although the chakra drain is lessened if it is covered." He tilted the band horizontal, revealing the single active Sharingan underneath. Immediately, he felt the strain of it draining his chakra. The two tomoe revolved slowly once, before slowing to idle around his pupil again.

Fugaku smirked frigidly, "Couldn't even figure out that much on your own?" He asked condescendingly, his own two eyes flashing red, the fully-evolved Sharingan appearing in both—three tomoe stood out sharply against the red iris in each. "Pathetic, Hatake!" He snapped.

Kakashi didn't even flinch at the biting words, although he wanted to. He was very aware of his reputation among the Uchiha since the elders had delivered a scathing disapproval of his possession of one of their Sharingan in public almost five months earlier. He was, however, becoming increasingly aware of the growing audience they had, and the fool he was allowing himself to be made out to be.

When he'd arrived, only a few minutes earlier, there had already been a number of children seated around the edge of the clearing. Now others had started to fill in around them, no doubt curious about the outsider in their grounds. And, likely, doubly so when they saw just who that outsider was.

"With all due respect, Fugaku-sama," Kakashi replied tolerantly, his tone cool and even, "I believe there are some things about this eye that I have a better understanding of than you."

The Uchiha scoffed, "If you know so much about using the Sharingan, Hatake, then what did you come to me for?"

Kakashi bit back an angry retort and remained stoically silent.

"Very well. Then we shall take things as I say," Fugaku said with an edge of vicious triumph, "To deactivate the Sharingan, you simply cease providing chakra to your eyes." He smirked cruelly, "Or, in your case, the single _eye_."

Kakashi clenched his fists, biting back another scathing remark. As much as he hated it, he needed help to master Obito's gift. A genius he might be, but learning to use his chakra in such a seemingly unnatural way was more than a little difficult, and the mistakes he'd already made by attempting to learn on his own had nearly cost his life on several occasions. The last time he'd woke up in the hospital, three weeks ago now, his teacher had expressly forbidden him from training the Sharingan on his own; at least until he'd mastered the basics.

Which led to where he was now, attempting the same thing he'd tried and failed to do a dozen times already.

Knowing he was going to regret this, when he ended up passing out from chakra exhaustion _again_, Kakashi formed a ram seal to help him concentrate his chakra. Frowning determinedly under his mask, the thirteen-year-old concentrated solely on pulling the chakra from his left eye.

* * *

Two weeks after his hospitalization, Harry was more than a little excited that his friend was finally being allowed out of his hospital room. The Yondaime had been by briefly, earlier, and after talking with the medics had suggested Harry give the older boy a short tour of the village. 

Harry looked up with a grin when the door of Tenzou's hospital room opened and the older boy stepped out, dressed in the clothes Minato had dropped off for him. He looked much better than he had all those weeks ago, when Harry had first seen him crouching in the hollow of a tree.

"Ready to go?" The six-year-old asked eagerly. It was the first time he'd found someone who actually knew less about this place than him, and he was more than happy to teach someone _else_ for a change.

The brunet nodded. Harry thought he looked a little nervous, and the younger boy quickly grabbed the older boy's hand to offer whatever comfort he could before leading him to the door.

"This will be fun," he promised as they stepped out of the building to the street, "Sensei says we have to be fast, but I can show you the best things. Like the park—all the kids play there—and the Hokage Tower. That's where sensei works."

"What's that?" Tenzou asked, pointing to the large cliff with three stone faces carved on it. He'd seen it from his hospital room.

Harry looked, as well, "That's the Hokage Monument," he supplied, "The faces are the Shodai… Nidaime… and Sandaime Hokage-sama." He nodded as though confirming his own words, "Sensei's the Hokage now, and his face will go there, too." He paused, then added, "It's very high."

Tenzou nodded in understanding, staring for a moment longer until Harry tugged him away to see the park.

"Here's the park!" Harry announced cheerfully when they reached the small park with a playground that he usually went to with Kushina or Rin.

Tenzou's reaction wasn't all the six-year-old had been expecting it to be. He stared silently at the children crawling around on strange structures and running around in some unorganized game for several minutes until Harry looked at him in concern.

"… Tenzou…?" The younger boy asked uncertainly.

"What… are they doing?" Tenzou finally asked, pointing in the general direction of the children on the play equipment.

Harry blinked, then grinned, taking the older boy's hand again—he'd never met anyone who knew less about playing at the park than him before—"Come on! I'll show you. The slide, first."

Tenzou allowed himself to be dragged along through the occupied children. A few of them paused to stare at the odd pair, but for the most part they were companionably ignored. Harry led the way to one of the more popular pieces of equipment, and they waited a few seconds to get to the front of the line.

"This is the slide," Harry told Tenzou as they climbed the ladder, "You just go down it."

"… Why?" Tenzou asked, a small, confused frown on his lips.

Harry smiled back at him over his shoulder, "It's fast. And fun, I mean."

When they reached the top, Tenzou just watched as Harry sat down, sliding down the slick surface. The boy stood at the bottom, stepping to the side and looking up at him expectantly.

"Come on, Tenzou, it's fun!" He repeated.

Tenzou looked at the slide dubiously, then stepped out a little. He had meant to sit down—really, he had—but his foot slipped and rather than sit, his body automatically regained its balance, keeping him upright as he continued to slip down the surface, arms wide to provide further balance.

By the time he reached the bottom there was a faint smile on his lips, and he quickly found Harry again, "You were right… It was kind of fun."

"You're supposed to sit down," Harry snickered.

"It's more fun standing up," Tenzou decided importantly.

"Is it?" Harry wondered—so, of course, both boys had to get back in line to try the slide again.

Eventually, Harry introduced Tenzou to swings, and Tenzou introduced Harry to a new, expedient way of getting off the swings. The six-year-old promptly decided Tenzou must be a genius to think of so many fun things to do so quickly, because jumping off the swings while they were still moving was more like flying than anything Harry had done before.

In this manner it was easy for the two boys to while away two hours at the park without even realizing it, and when a nurse finally tracked them down, the boys were quite involved in a game of mock-sword-fighting with branches they'd found near the trees. Harry wasn't too sorry to end the game because he'd found Tenzou had a distinct advantage with the wooden swords—his branch seemed to grow every time the older boy found himself needing a longer reach. He _was_ a little disappointed that he wouldn't get to show Tenzou the rest of the village, though.

"You can show him around some more another time," the nurse consoled him kindly, "But for now, Tenzou-kun needs to get back to the hospital so he can rest."

Harry nodded glumly, "Sorry, Tenzou… I'll show you the rest later."

Tenzou grinned back, "It was fun, Harii," he assured the younger boy, "Even if we didn't see where sensei works. Today was definitely the best day ever!"

Harry blushed a little and muttered about how he thought it had been a good day, too.

The nurse smiled fondly at the two boys before apologetically escorting her young ward back to the hospital.

* * *

Kakashi stood, panting, as exhaustion crept in on his vision. He almost hated to admit it, but he'd learned a lot since he'd started training with Fugaku. They'd only met three times in the last two weeks, but after the man had given up teaching him to deactivate the Sharingan, things had been moving pretty smoothly. 

Uchiha Fugaku was not an easy man to be taught by and Kakashi suspected that he and Obito would not have gotten along well, if the man had ever had a hand in training the often clumsy boy. Fugaku had neither great patience, nor much tolerance for mistakes.

Luckily, Kakashi didn't make many mistakes after he'd been instructed in the proper methodology of something. Unfortunately, it didn't make the two like each other any more than they had initially. But regardless of Kakashi's talents, there were some things that even the Uchiha couldn't teach him, which was why Fugaku's patience was wearing thin again after barely ten minutes of training.

"You still aren't moderating your chakra usage, Hatake!" The man snapped, "How do you expect to be able to last in a fight when you allow the Sharingan to take as much of your chakra as it wants?"

Kakashi bristled in annoyance, "Tell me how to stop it, then!" He demanded, "The tenketsu to my eyes don't offer any control!" Was it his fault that, unlike the Uchiha, he'd been born with _normal_ eyes?

"Fool!" Fugaku growled, "It is impossible to control the Sharingan without regulating the chakra to your eyes! Even a Hatake should have that much control of his chakra! I cannot teach you if you're so far behind that you can't even do that."

Kakashi clenched his fists. It was like the Sharingan had a mind of its own—and that was a disturbing thought to the young teen. It leeched his chakra at alarming rates, and everything he'd done to control it had come to nothing as of yet.

Tensions were running high and it was difficult to tell who was more fed up with whom.

Fugaku made the first move, turning his back on the teen, "That is my final decision. Even if you are the Yondaime's student, I have my own standards. I will not teach an ignorant fool with less chakra control than the mutts he sleeps with. Come to me again when you've learned to regulate the chakra in your eyes or don't come at all."

Kakashi decided once and for all that he hated Uchiha—with Obito being the only tolerable one among them. He swiftly pulled down his hitai-ate and stormed from the complex with as much calm as he could manage. He was going to get the most dangerous mission at Administration and hope it had something to do with killing someone with red eyes—he could really use the stress relief.

* * *

For once he was having a good dream. He was high up in the air, stars overhead and buildings far below. The wind whipped past him, tugging on his clothes and whistling by his ears. He knew it was a dream because he was riding on a motorcycle—and motorcycles, he knew, did not fly. 

It was a good dream, though, and he was perfectly content to continue his flight, but something jarred him from his sleep. Harry blinked stupidly at the ceiling as the realistic feelings his dream had provided began to fade.

There was another knock on the door and Harry heard it slide open. The six-year-old looked to the right, as was quickly becoming instinct for him, but Kakashi wasn't there. His futon was folded neatly by the wall, exactly where it had been since the teen left on his last mission, three and a half days ago.

Ever since he'd been assigned his own team, he'd been gone on missions more often. Harry wasn't entirely sure, but from the little Kakashi told him, only half the missions he went on were actually with that team—and he seemed to prefer the ones that weren't.

"Harii," a voice in the doorway drew the boy's eyes tiredly across the room. As his green met a pair of clear blue, the blond cracked a grin.

He looked tired, Harry thought. He hadn't seen much of Minato lately, either. The new Yondaime was very busy adjusting to the full responsibilities of his job. It wasn't unusual for him to come home sometime after the boys were asleep and leave again after a quick breakfast the next morning. It wasn't even unusual for them to go a day or two at a time without seeing him at all—although Harry wasn't sure whether that was because he spent all night out or he simply left again before they woke up. Kakashi suspected the former.

"Sensei..." The boy acknowledged tiredly.

Minato toned down his grin a little, still smiling, "Come on, Harii-kun, time to get up. Today's a big day, remember?"

"Muh..." Was Harry's half-hearted complaint, and he pulled his blanket over his head. He didn't remember, and he'd stayed up half the night expecting Kakashi to be back any minute—he'd said he might be home by now when he left. Whatever big plans he had could wait.

"Nuh-uh," the man retorted, as though hearing his thoughts, "You're not going back to sleep, Harii. You've got school today, remember? Your very first day at the Academy, so you can't be late. Neither can I, for that matter, I've got to run some proceedings..."

That sounded vaguely familiar at least. Harry tried to remember through his sleep-fogged mind.

With a second groan, the boy stirred again, pushing down his blankets and sitting up. Minato smiled at him and pulled out of the doorway.

"Hurry up and get dressed," he advised, "We'll stop for breakfast on the way."

Harry nodded vaguely and the man closed the door, leaving him to get dressed by himself. Dragging himself out of bed, Harry picked through his clothes, deciding on his puppy shirt—he thought it looked a little like Pakkun.

* * *

Minato picked out a nice shop where they could eat outdoors—the tables had been full, but he graciously accepted an offer from two young women to join them at their table, and chatted amicably with them all through the meal. Harry was impressed that he somehow managed to put away three plates of food while he was at it. 

When they arrived at the Academy, students were still running past them to get to their classes. Many of them paused for just a few seconds to stare at the Hokage—Minato smiled and waved back at them.

He looked down at Harry as they approached the door, "Ready to go in?"

Nervously, the six-year-old nodded.

The first year classroom was loud. Two men were trying to get the young children to calm down, but they weren't doing a very good job at it. The children were on an electric sort of high, running around and shouting over each other, pumped up for school and excited about the prospect of what they would be learning.

Harry strained to see Tenzou, but the older boy wasn't in the room. He'd known he wouldn't be, but he was still disappointed. They'd planned to start at the Academy together, but Tenzou's condition had taken a turn for the worse a few days ago and he'd been told the other boy would be joining him at the Academy only after he became well again.

There were a few children that Harry recognized from his trips to the park. He even noticed one or two that he had played with before. It was still a little intimidating—Harry didn't have a lot of good experiences around large groups of kids, and it didn't help that some of them were still looking at him funny after what happened at the Hokage Monument.

Minato chuckled shamelessly at the discord in the classroom. "Why don't you find someplace to sit, Harii-kun," he suggested, eyes bright with amusement, "I'll see if I can't help out your teachers."

"Hai," Harry answered quietly, looking around hesitantly before reluctantly taking a seat that was next to an empty desk.

Just the presence of the Yondaime had the desired effect on the students. As more of the children noticed him, they fell silent and still until, at last, the whole class was doing nothing but gaping at the man silently.

The Chuunin instructors acknowledged him gratefully.

"Thank you, Yondaime-sama," the older of the two nin said sincerely, bowing his head towards the blond. He chuckled ruefully and looked at the staring children, "It seems like we've got an energetic bunch this year."

Minato laughed, "It does," he agreed amiably. The man turned to the class, schooling his face into a stern expression. "It's good to have lots of energy, but remember to listen to your teachers sometimes, too. They're already skilled shinobi, and if you do as they say, some of that skill might rub off on you." He grinned then, "Of course, you're all still kids, so you should have fun, too..."

The Chuunin instructors exchanged glances that were decidedly less grateful as their Hokage continued to entice their impressionable young students.

* * *

Harry stared vacantly at the black board and the teacher standing in front of it. He thought, if he concentrated really hard, he could hear the _drip-drip_ of his brain leaking out of his head. 

Class had started well enough. After Minato left, the teachers had given the class a brief overview of the rules, then taken them outside to burn off some surplus energy by running laps and practicing basic Taijutsu techniques.

After they were all exhausted enough to sit still for half an hour, they'd gone back inside. Texts had been passed out; a small booklet of math, another of kanji, and a much thicker book entitled _Shinobi Handbook – Third Edition – Authorized for teaching by the Sandaime Hokage_. Harry had flipped through the latter, only to find, to his horror, that he could barely recognize half the characters inside, and the other half were completely foreign.

And then the lecture started. Many students took notes—Harry tried, but he couldn't keep up with the instructor, so he had to give up on his sloppy copying of kana lest he fall hopelessly behind.

It had started out as a lecture about the purpose of shinobi, Harry knew that, but he had no idea if that's what the man was still talking about. The non-stop stream of words in a language he wasn't all that comfortable with in the first place had been more than enough to lose him, and an hour into it he couldn't even understand the words he normally was familiar with.

It was like his brain had completely overloaded and would no longer function at all. Like Uncle Vernon's car after Dudley jumped on the hood.

Harry blinked hard and rubbed his ears, hoping to concentrate a little better for it. It didn't work.

The teachers occasionally wrote something on the board, but it looked like nothing more than chicken scratch to Harry's frazzled mind.

Miserably, the six-year-old let his head drop to his arms on his desk. This was going to be a long day, he could tell already.

He'd been like that for nearly a minute when something slamming on his desk, accompanied by a sharp, "Hatake!" made his head snap up again.

He stared at the man with wide eyes as he yelled for a few seconds, then paused, ending with something that sounded vaguely like a question.

Harry rubbed his ear again, but it didn't help, and everyone was staring now. Sinking down in his seat a little further, Harry mumbled a meek, "Sorry..."

The man blinked, frowned at him oddly, then walked away. The lecture began again and Harry was mostly ignored until lunch time, even when he set his head down again.

* * *

It was a frustrating interrogation on both ends. The Chuunin spoke with an odd lilt in his voice, making his words that much harder for Harry to understand. He spoke much quicker than the boy was used to, as well, enough so that even when he was addressed one-to-one he still found it difficult to keep up with what the man was saying. 

Harry fidgeted in his chair until the man had had his say. Then, blushing with embarrassment, he painstakingly put words to his problem. "Slow down... please?"

The man stared at him, uncomprehending and Harry wondered if he had accidentally spoken in English.

The boy's frown deepened along with his blush and he carefully formed a better sentence, "You talk too quick."

The man stared at him a moment longer, then blinked, understanding slowly dawning on his features. His speech slowed to a crawl, further embarrassing Harry in that he thought he needed to slow down _that much_.

"I apologize, Harii-kun," he annunciated at an excruciatingly slow pace, "Yondaime-sama told me you do not natively speak our language—I didn't realize it was hard for you to understand, still."

"... Only when you talk so fast," Harry admitted awkwardly, beginning to feel more at ease with the language again as some of his pent-up stress from the day began to release.

The man rubbed his chin, "Well... did you understand anything I lectured on today?"

"A... little," Harry said, rubbing the back of his head in an unconscious imitation of Minato. "You said... shinobi follow Hokage-sama's orders... and protect the village."

The man smiled a little, "Right, well, I said a lot of stuff after that, too. I'll try to go a little slower in the afternoon, okay?"

Harry nodded.

"But I can't slow down too much," the man warned, "We have a lot to cover this year. You should get to know some of your classmates so they can help you with notes."

Harry nodded again.

"Stay after when the class is dismissed," the man instructed, "I'll introduce you to one of the others, okay?"

"Hai," Harry smiled a little.

The man smiled back, "Good. You can go eat lunch now."

Nodding, Harry grabbed his lunch and scrambled off to join the other children outside.

* * *

"Ah… Kushina-san," Minato started carefully when the two ran into each other at Ichiraku's ramen a few days into April, "How are you feeling today?" 

The woman shot him an odd look, one eyebrow raised high, "Fine," she answered before going back to wolfing down a strange smelling bowl of ramen.

"Oh… that's good," Minato smiled, taking the seat next to her and ordering his own lunch, "So… then, you and me, are we…"

"Are we what?" Kushina sounded mildly bemused. And cheerful—Minato hadn't heard that in a while, "You should come over sometime, Minato, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

Minato blinked, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin, "Yeah, it has," he agreed, "You're… sure you're okay? You've been acting kind of strange lately."

The woman stared at him, her face going serious, "Minato… there's something I need to tell you…"

The blond looked at her, curious, "Oh?"

Kushina appeared to be struggling for words before she finally blurted out, "Your ramen's done."

Blinking, Minato turned to find Ichiraku bringing him a steaming bowl of ramen. In confusion, he turned back to Kushina, only to see a recently abandoned seat where the woman had just been.

The Yondaime sighed, hunching over his meal, "I'll never understand women," he bemoaned.

Ichiraku chuckled, cleaning up Kushina's place, "No man does, Minato-sama. By the way, Kushina-san said you'd be paying her bill today so…"

Minato could only stare when the bill was produced, wondering how one woman could eat so much ramen.

* * *

It was hard for the six-year-old to get into the habit of following the school schedule when he'd been left mostly to his own devices for the last two or three months. Minato had gotten him an alarm clock so he'd be able to wake up on time even if the man wasn't there, and that helped a little. 

The first thing Harry always did upon waking was to look over at Kakashi's side of the room, but on the third day into the new school year, the futon was still folded properly as if it had never been used. Harry couldn't help but be surprised when he stepped into the main room of the apartment a few minutes later to find Kakashi sitting at the table with his teacher. The boy brightened immediately, the fog of sleep lifting.

"Kakashi-niisan!" He exclaimed in surprise, "Welcome back!"

Kakashi glanced at him and gave him a polite nod, but otherwise finished what he was saying to the blond seated across from him. Harry, only catching the tail end of the conversation, thought he heard something about lightning and patrols, but it didn't make much sense to him.

The six-year-old took a seat next to the table, helping himself to what was already set out for breakfast in a manner that he was already well accustomed to, and began thinking about the day he had ahead. School was not turning out to be as fun as he'd expected. It was, in fact, very nearly as bad as kindergarten with Dudley had been, and Harry was already looking forward to the afternoon when he'd be released.

It wasn't _all_ bad, of course. He had one of the best aims in his class, and he matched pretty well with the other students physically, but when it came to academics he couldn't help but be abysmal. He couldn't even understand what the instructors were saying half the time.

"Harii-san," Kakashi sounded like he was repeating his name and Harry looked up at him with a slight blush. The young teen ignored it and continued with what he'd been saying, "This is for you."

Harry looked down to see the boy was holding out a small pouch, similar to the one he'd been borrowed countless times. He stared at it blankly, "What?"

Kakashi frowned slightly, "You'll need it at the Academy," he supplied, "The school-owned supplies tend to be of low quality. You should bring your own set."

"For… me…?" Harry asked, looking up in surprise, "You mean… it's mine? Really?"

By now Kakashi was beginning to look annoyed, and distinctly uncomfortable, "I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't," he retorted gruffly, "It's only a trainer, anyway. They aren't up to field specs, so I don't have any use for it."

Across the table, Minato was snickering at the pair—Kakashi shot him a glare, but the blond only shrugged helplessly and continued to laugh.

Numbly, Harry reached out to take the package, still hardly believing that it was actually _his_ and he wouldn't have to return it later. Of course, he had that book Minato had bought for him—he'd even written his name in it with Kushina's help—but this was a little different. And it was from _Kakashi_.

A smile slowly formed on the six-year-old's face as that fact set in. His _brother_—because that's what Kakashi was, his _brother_, and even that was still hard to believe—was _giving_ him something. Presumably, he'd even picked it out, and maybe even paid for it himself.

They weren't much like the brothers Harry had seen on the television shows Dudley sometimes liked to watch, but it seemed to him that they _had_ to be getting closer if Kakashi was giving him a gift. Even if it was only equipment for him to use in school. Because for Kakashi to be giving this to him, he had to have thought of him while they weren't together.

"Thanks…" The boy mumbled belatedly, blushing a little because he'd forgotten to say it earlier.

Kakashi shrugged, looking mostly indifferent, and maybe a little embarrassed if the way he avoided everyone's eyes was any indication. "Well, you _are_ my brother," the older boy muttered dissmissively.

Harry's smile only widened into a grin—because while he always called Kakashi "niisan," it was the first time the older boy had called _him_ brother. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad, after all.

Kakashi stood abruptly, and Harry, looking up at him, could see just a bit of red around the edge of his mask, "I have a meeting with Fugaku-sama," he explained briefly before going to the door as quickly as he could without looking like he was hurrying.

Minato wasn't even snickering anymore—he was laughing quite loudly. He managed to contain himself soon enough to call after Kakashi, "I thought you had a fight with the Uchiha?"

The door slamming shut was the only response he received.

Minato laughed a few more times before smiling across at Harry, "You should feel honored, Harii-kun," he commented with amusement, "I think that's the first time he's given anyone anything without being forced into it."

Harry blushed again and ducked his head, smiling down at the pouch. It seemed like his brother was finally beginning to accept him, maybe, now that he'd joined the Academy.

"No matter what…" The little boy muttered as his embarrassed flush finally faded away.

"Hmm?" Minato asked, his overpowering laughter having faded, as well.

Harry looked up, determination shining in his dark green eyes, "I'm going to be a shinobi," he stated boldly, "No matter what." He would have his brother's approval, and they'd all be like a real family.

* * *

Harry had been looking forward to Saturday all week—until late Friday evening, at least. Because that's when Minato interrupted his explanation of his plans for the next day by informing him he had school in the morning. 

As everyone filed inside from their usual morning training sessions, their teacher explained exactly what would be happening.

"Saturdays are half days," the Chuunin informed his students, continuing quickly before they could cheer about getting out of school early, "We'll only have one lecture today, and then there will be a break for lunch. After lunch, a teacher from the Primary School will be coming over to test your reading levels."

"Saturday afternoons you'll be spending at the Primary School in supplementary language classes depending on your level," the man continued, "You're expected to attend those classes in addition to your classes here at the Academy."

One student stuck his hand high into the arm, waving it around until the teacher acknowledged him, "What if we already know how to read?" He demanded, "Do we still have to go?"

"The test will place you anywhere from level 4 to level 1," the man replied, "If you can pass even the level 1 material, you will not have to attend the extra classes."

Nervous chatter erupted around the room, and Harry was a little pale—no one had warned him there was a test today! Anxiously, he tried to call up the different characters he'd learned so far, only to find himself drawing a blank.

"Calm down!" The teacher had to raise his voice to break through the noise, "It doesn't matter _what_ you get on this test. It's only a placement test and will not have any effect on your grades! In fact, whatever scores you earn at the Primary School will have no effect on your class standing here at the Academy. The classes are for your own benefit because we don't have time to teach kanji along with everything else here. And don't worry too much if you do poorly on this test. Every six months you'll be given the same test with the opportunity to skip ahead to the next level."

"The supplemental classes will move at a faster pace than ordinary language classes, so you'll have to put a lot of work into them to keep up, but there isn't any other way to do it if you want to get through the Academy in a few years." The man explained calmly, "Obviously, the sooner you're able to read well, the easier it will be for you to understand the material here. Does everyone understand? Are there any questions?"

There was a little chatter, but no one raised their hands with questions. The man relaxed a little, smiling.

"Good," he said, "Because we still have a lot to get through before lunch…"

* * *

"Harii!" Harry looked up as he approached the school yard on Monday and a wide smile spread across his face. 

"Tenzou!" He called back, jogging the remaining distance to the building, where his friend was waiting for him. The older boy looked pale, and maybe a little more sickly than the last time he'd seen him, but he was smiling and looked happy enough with a pair of books tucked under one arm and a bento hanging in a cloth from the other.

"Harra-san made me one," Tenzou supplied, lifting the cloth-covered bento in explanation, "I have to go straight back to the hospital after school, but Yondaime-sama convinced them I should be able to come now."

"That's good!" Harry exclaimed enthusiastically, "Are you going to be in Isao-sensei's class?"

The brunet nodded, "Because even though I'm older, I don't know much about tactics or law. I'll be in the first-year class with the younger kids, but I'm supposed to follow an… accelerated track so I graduate sooner."

Harry blinked in surprise, slowly taking in what he was being told, "What's… an accelerated track? So you graduate sooner? It's… faster than regular school?"

Tenzou nodded, "Yeah, I'll still be in class with you, but I'm expected to be able to learn the material faster." He scratched the back of his head, "I guess 'cause I'm older, but I don't know."

"How old are you?" Harry asked in confusion—he knew Tenzou was a little older than him, but he didn't think he looked much older.

"Yondaime-sama was able to find me on file," Tenzou supplied, "Or, at least, someone they think is me. I'm supposed to be nine years old."

Harry frowned, "You're… supposed to be…?" Usually, Tenzou was pretty easy to understand. He didn't use a lot of the fancy words that adults used, and he spoke more slowly than most people; but Harry really couldn't understand what the older boy was trying to say now.

Tenzou scratched his head awkwardly, "Well… that's—I don't really know for sure, but I think I'm around nine, and that's what Yondaime-sama said, so it's probably true…"

Harry still didn't understand, but he nodded anyway—it didn't really matter. "But we'll be in the same class for a little while, right?"

Tenzou smiled a bit again, relieved for the change of subject. He nodded, "Right."

Harry grinned and led the way inside, "Come on, I'll show you our classroom!"


	18. Lobster

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: Last night I did not appear in court to protest the exclusion of myself as partial-owner of Harry Potter or Naruto, thus I still can not make any claim to either series.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I've been busy this last week, so it took me a while to find time to work on this. And then when I finished it, fanfiction wasn't working so I couldn't upload it right away. Hopefully, this will be worth the wait. Real quick, I should warn you that there is quite a bit of violence in the "past" part of this chapter.

On a scientific note: Goldfish, contrary to what Minato seems to believe in this chapter, do not have a memory span limited to only 3 seconds. According to a study done at Plymouth University, they actually can remember things for as long as 3 months. I don't think shinobi care too much about the memory span of a goldfish, thus they have not done this same research.

On a cultural note: The dictionary Harry uses is sorted by the SKIP (System of Kanji Indexing by Patterns) code, which I believe was created by Jack Halpern. It's a method for sorting kanji by visual style and strokes, thus you can look up any kanji you can see without knowing how to _say_ it or what it means.

Enjoy the story!

Chapter 18 - Lobster 

"Where is the Potter boy?"

Uncle Vernon stuttered uncharacteristically, "He... he's... he's in the—"

Screwing up his courage, Harry stepped into the doorway, "I-I'm right here."

The four figures and Uncle Vernon suddenly turned to look at him. He thought his uncle yelled something at him, but he couldn't tell over the deafening pounding of his heart. One of the cloaked figures took a step towards him and Harry took a shaky step back.

Another figure pointed his stick at him, a distinctly triumphant edge to his voice, "Potter... Come in here, boy."

Harry hesitated, frightened eyes jumping to his family members. Aunt Petunia was slowly picking herself off of the ground, although she was still shaking. Dudley was at her side again and Uncle Vernon was still hanging in the air, like a lobster on a hook... an invisible hook. Harry gulped nervously.

"L-let them g-go first," he stammered, "Then... th-then I'll come i-in."

"That wasn't a request, Potter," the man sneered. He flicked his wand and Harry suddenly felt disoriented. "Come in here," the man said again.

It sounded like a very good idea, and Harry found his feet moving. He wasn't afraid anymore, the men in robes didn't bother him. He felt detached from everything, downright cheerful, even—happier than he'd ever been in his life. Suddenly, the feeling left him and he found himself standing between his uncle and his aunt and cousin. Fear returned abruptly as he realized the strangers were standing between them and the door.

"Okay, you've got him," Uncle Vernon said shakily, "Now let us go!"

The stranger returned his attention to the suspended man, "Don't speak to me, muggle," he said harshly.

Uncle Vernon made a strangled noise and his face started to turn a funny shade of purple.

"V-Vernon," Aunt Petunia started shakily.

Harry looked anxiously between the two, then focused his attention on the strangers again, "Let him go!" He demanded angrily.

The hooded face turned towards him, "Very well, Potter," he said casually. With a flick of his wand the man was released, and Harry's eyes widened to see his large uncle flying towards him.

The boy grunted as his uncle's massive form fell on top of him and both of them slid into the wall. Tears came to the boy's eyes again as he struggled to breathe underneath his uncle—he could barely move, and even the small up and down movement of his chest was constricted.

"Vernon!" Aunt Petunia cried again. She tried to move to his side, but was forced to crawl when she couldn't get her legs to support her. "Vernon! Vernon, can you get up?"

"Tie them up," the man ordered.

Another man behind him raised his stick and flicked it in the direction of the family—Harry heard him say something, but couldn't make out the unfamiliar word through his squashed ears.

Ropes flew from the stick and immediately wound themselves around the Dursleys.

"Jugson," the man said, glancing at a short, plump figure behind him.

The figure growled something in a slightly higher voice than the others and huge flames leapt from the tip of her stick.

"Everyone, move out," the man ordered to his fellows behind him. The four figures turned and ran while the Dursleys watched in horror as the huge flames leapt around their living room.

"Vernon," Petunia whimpered, moving as much as she could within her ropes, "Vernon, what should we do?"

The fat man's face was set on the flames, which seemed to be eating up his sitting room like living things, his horror clearly visible on his face.

"Uncle Vernon," Harry managed to gasp, "I... I can't... breathe."

"I think that's the least of our problems, boy," the man grunted, making no effort to move. He was in too much pain to even try to struggle against the ropes binding him.

Harry squirmed and managed to eventually get out from underneath the man—the flames were taller than ever, and had spread to all four walls. He stood up, looking around. Even Dudley was in ropes, crying and whimpering piteously. More concerning, though, was that the large towers of flame seemed to be coming towards them.

"Harry," Aunt Petunia drew the boy's attention, her voice strained and fearful, "Go into the kitchen and get one of the knives."

"Call the police while you're at it, boy!" Uncle Vernon added.

Harry nodded quickly and ran for the doorway.

In the hall, the flames were even larger, cutting off the stairs and the door. Harry ignored them and ran to the kitchen, sweating heavily as the heat started to get to him.

Even the kitchen was aflame, and in the middle of it all was something Harry had never seen, even in his dreams. It looked like a lizard with small wings on its back, and it was almost as tall as Harry, made completely out of flames. Its head turned toward the boy and fiery jaws opened to let out a high-pitched roar. Harry's eyes widened in fear and he abruptly stopped.

The flaming lizard leapt at him and Harry turned and ran. The only room still open was the living room and Harry raced inside, heaving and coughing on the smoke in the air, only to find himself trapped again. The flames were getting higher and hotter and the lizard followed Harry into the doorway.

"Boy, the knives," Vernon said weakly, trying to edge away from the flames closing in around them. Dudley was still crying, although it was quieter now.

Eyes wide, Harry shook his head, too afraid to speak.

"You didn't get them?!" The man demanded angrily.

Harry turned, pointing to the flaming thing in the door.

Aunt Petunia screamed and the lizard's head turned towards her.

"Boy!" Vernon gasped, "K-keep that thing away from us!"

The lizard let out a shout and charged towards the three Dursleys.

"No!" Harry shouted hoarsely, but the flaming beast was already jumping.

Uncle Vernon screamed and Harry clenched his eyes shut as the man went up in flames.

"Vernon!" Aunt Petunia screamed—Dudley was sobbing louder again at her side, trembling in his ropes.

The man's screams cut off abruptly and Harry backed away, eyes wide. An awful stench had just found its way to his nose, stronger and more potent than the stench of the smoke—he wasn't entirely sure what it was, but it made him want to throw up. He had nothing in his stomach, though, so he heaved on polluted air, causing him to cough and wheeze desperately—it was hard to catch his breath again.

Aunt Petunia screamed again and Harry's head whipped around. In the doorway were several more strange looking creatures made of flames, their heads focused on the three people in the room.

Harry stared at them, trembling. As if on some silent command, the three creatures raced forward, burning everything in their path and leaving flames in their wake.

Two of them went towards Harry's aunt and cousin while the remaining one went after him. Harry turned and ran, his aunt's and cousin's screams and sobs echoing after him.

In the hall he found more of the fiery creatures. He dodged around one in the kitchen doorway and raced to the sink, coughing. The room was burning, but he'd almost made it when another creature rose up in front of him, this one even taller than he was. It opened its mouth and let out a screeching roar, a wave of blistering heat hit Harry in the face.

Harry screamed, backing away and whipping around, tears streaming from his eyes. The others blocked his path. The six-year-old crouched defensively, staring fearfully at the three flaming creatures moving towards him. Suddenly they jumped.

Harry ducked his head, muscles tensing as he prepared himself as best he could for the burning heat. He felt nothing but terror—he was helpless and he was going to die. His aunt and cousin had fallen silent in the other room, and the strange, nauseating stench filled the house.

A cool breeze relieved his hot skin suddenly and Harry shifted, frowning uncertainly. Cautiously, he raised his head, looking around in wonder and confusion. The three burning creatures still surrounded him, only instead of flaming, they were solid ice, frozen.

A question ran through his head, but the boy didn't dwell on how or why those things had froze. Instead he hurried back out of the kitchen, stumbling and choking on the smoke that was becoming heavy in the air. More of the creatures were coming out of the living room, even their bright flames becoming hazy and hard to see, and a few of them were on the stairs. Harry went to the only place where he felt moderately safe—he dove into the cupboard under the stairs.

The boy quickly pulled the door shut and crawled under his covers, curling into a ball and shaking as he listened to the inhuman screeches beyond the flimsy door.

* * *

Harry threw another kunai at the target, and smiled a little when it hit near the center mark. While he couldn't head dead-on every single time, he almost always got within an inch or two of the center; he'd improved a lot.

The boy sighed and slunk over to the target to wrench his thrown kunai from the wood. Of course he'd improved. Besides school, there wasn't much for him to do. Tenzou still wasn't allowed out of the hospital for anything other than school, and whenever Kakashi was around—he was usually home for a few days in between missions that would last anywhere from one to two weeks—they would train together, because the teen honestly didn't seem to be able to think of anything else they could do together. They never went back to the park.

Kushina was gone even more than Kakashi, but when she was around she would usually take the time to visit with him for an hour or two in the afternoons. Harry enjoyed the time because Kushina liked to take him out to the park and engineer giant games of football or ninja. On particularly warm days, they'd go down to the river and she'd try to teach him and the other kids water walking—which they were all generally miserable at—until she got bored and started showing off. Then all of the kids would gang up on her and manage to jump the woman at the same time. That was usually enough to put the woman under water.

Rin sometimes visited, too. She seemed sad whenever she did, though, and Harry was pretty sure she was thinking about Obito. He saw her other times—when he visited Tenzou in the hospital—but she was always busy, and when she noticed him she could spare little more than a wave, so he let her be. The nurses in charge of Tenzou encouraged him not to visit after school, stating that Tenzou needed a lot of rest, so Harry didn't visit the hospital much anymore.

Sensei—now the Yondaime—tried to get enough time off work every day to take him out to Ichiraku's after school, and talk cheerfully about their days. Harry noticed that he came less often and looked more worried on the days that Kakashi was gone.

Which left days like today when Harry had absolutely nothing to do. Kakashi didn't even leave Ryou-kun with him anymore, since he was at school most of the day anyway. He'd spend most days training in the fields behind the Academy, but sometimes some of the other kids invited him to play a game with them. Today wasn't one of those days and Harry was bored.

Putting everything away, Harry headed down the street towards the Hokage's Tower. Maybe sensei would want to get some ramen.

He dragged his feet down the road—even though it still wasn't really summer, it was already hot enough that he could barely stand to be outside. Of course, inside wasn't much better. The Academy didn't have air conditioning, and the apartment didn't, either. Harry wasn't sure if _anyplace_ had air conditioning, although sensei's office always seemed cool.

As he finally reached the tower, Harry decided that it was hotter than it had ever been in Surrey. Even in the middle of the summer he didn't remember it being this hot. And it didn't help at all that the air was sticky with high humidity. He was very glad to reach the shade and somewhat cooler atmosphere of the tower. He made his way quietly through the room on the first floor, glancing at the groups of shinobi who were queuing up in front of desks or gathered like flies around coffee pots—Harry didn't know how they could stand drinking the hot beverage in this heat.

He had made it all the way to the stairs in back before a man Harry hadn't noticed standing against the wall snagged the back of the boy's shirt to hold stop him.

"Hey, kid, where do you think you're going?" The man asked with a frown.

Harry frowned back and squirmed to be released—it didn't do him any good. "To see Yondaime-sama," he answered with irritation, knowing most people preferred it if he called sensei Yondaime these days.

"The Hokage doesn't have time to play with little brats," the man said coolly, rolling his eyes and starting towards the door, Harry in tow, "He's a very important person and he's otherwise occupied."

The six-year-old's face screwed up—he wasn't even sure what all of those long words meant, but he could guess pretty well. "But... but I know him!" He said in frustration, "I live with him!" He still wasn't sure what that made him. Kakashi called him _sensei_, but Harry knew he technically wasn't _his _teacher, even though the man didn't seem to mind if he called him that, too. Neither was he his father, uncle, or any other relative, as far as Harry knew.

The shinobi pushed open the doors and lifted the boy outside, dropping him back on his feet next to the door, "You're Hatake Harii, right?" He asked.

Harry nodded a bit petulantly, arms crossed as he pouted up at the man.

"Well, you can't see him right now," the man reiterated, "Yondaime-sama is in a very important meeting and he's not to be disturbed."

And with that the man went back inside, leaving Harry to pout alone. With a sigh, the boy slid down the wall, utterly bored. He sat there, silently accusing the world of being so unfair for a few minutes—he finally got to live with people he liked, but they were always too busy to do anything with him!

After a while, he reluctantly slung his bag off his back and pulled out his shinobi handbook. He was behind on his homework—as usual—and now was as good a time as any to work on it. If he was lucky, maybe Kakashi or Kushina would return and see him, and then he could do something else.

* * *

It was a wonderful feeling of freedom. Sarutobi didn't have any responsibilities. He could paint all day and no one would yell at him for getting behind on paperwork. He could spend hours studying what he wanted when he wanted. He could harass his children about sleeping in too late, or eating unbalanced meals, or that disgusting habit of smoking cigarettes his youngest seemed to be picking up—not that Asuma ever listened to anything he had to say on the matter. He could set his oldest up on all the blind-dates he wanted, because he was darn well old enough to start having grandchildren and his good for nothing kids just weren't providing like they were supposed to!

Yes, it was a wonderful feeling of freedom. At least, that's what the retired Hokage kept telling himself.

He looked up, pausing in his walk. If it was so wonderful, why did his feet always lead him back here?

He mused, staring up at the Hokage's Tower that he'd spent so much time in over the last twenty-five years. There had been times it had seemed like more of a home than his own house. And he definitely knew the halls of that tower better than the corners of his home.

The old man sighed and allowed his feet to carry him forward again. He'd just stop in to see how his young replacement was doing. Maybe offer a few pointers. And if Minato was running behind on paperwork again, maybe he'd stick around to help a little.

He knew his help wouldn't be appreciated, but the younger man was usually too polite to tell him off for it.

Minato would roll his eyes and laugh and tell him he was supposed to be enjoying his retirement. That _was_ the whole reason he had handed over his title, after all, wasn't it? Passing it on to another generation... but he couldn't help but involve himself.

Skirmishes were breaking out in the North, this time against Lightning. Those nin were like scavengers. They politely refrained from participating in the harsh wars of their neighboring countries, but once said countries settled into a tentative peace, licking their wounds, the Cloud-nin would start picking at the borders of the weakened countries. He'd seen it happen often enough, and it was something Minato should be made aware of.

He stopped himself short of the doors as he recognized a wisp of silver out of the corner of his eye and turned to find Harry sitting against the side of the tower, slender white eyebrows drawn together in frustration and a small frown that looked more like a pout on his down-turned lips. He had two books out. Sarutobi recognized the shinobi handbook intrinsically, and the other took him only a moment to recognize as a kanji dictionary.

Children started at the Academy early enough that they hardly had enough time to have learned all the necessary kanji outside of school. The supplementary classes helped a little, but many of the characters considered most useful by civilians, and thus taught in the Primary School, were not necessarily the same as the kanji shinobi agreed were the most useful. It took a lot of hard work to become a shinobi, but he liked to think it was worth it in the end.

Smiling slightly, the man walked over to stand near to the boy, waiting patiently for the child to notice him.

It happened sooner than the man expected. The boy looked up and his eyes widened with surprise, then quickly smiled.

"Hokage-sama!" The boy exclaimed, awkwardly putting his books down before jumping to his feet.

The old man's smile widened a little, crinkling at the corners of his eyes, "You seem hard at work, Harii-kun," he commented in the child's native language, "Don't allow me to distract you."

Harry looked anxiously down at his books, then back up with a little too much innocence not to be guilty, "That's okay," he said quickly, responding in like, "I don't need to get it done now."

The Sandaime raised an eyebrow, "Is that so?"

Harry fidgeted a little under his gaze—a sure sign of guilt—then quickly changed the subject, "You don't need to talk to me in English anymore, Hokage-sama," he said quickly—still in English, the old man noted with some amusement—"I know... um, your language well enough now." He frowned slightly, "As long as you don't talk really fast like Isao-sensei."

Sarutobi chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair affectionately, pleasantly surprised by the boy's openness. Of course, the old man wasn't fooled, and realized it was probably more of a ploy to get out of doing his homework than anything. "So, are you doing well in your classes?" He continued in English—more for his own benefit than for the child's understanding; he didn't have the opportunity to practice the foreign language often.

The boy smiled with obvious pride, "Isao-sensei said he was going to talk to Kiyoshi-sensei to see if I can join his class for Taijutsu training," he said proudly, "Kiyoshi-sensei teaches the second year students," he added, as if the Hokage didn't know, "I'm really good with kunai and shuriken. I can hit the middle of the target almost all of the time!"

The retired Hokage laughed again, "It seems like you take after your family in that respect," he commented in amusement, "Kakashi was a very quick study, as was Sakumo."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise, "You knew my dad?"

The Hokage smiled, "I have been the Hokage since Sakumo was still only a teenager. He was friends with my students back when they were all Genin. Yes, I knew Sakumo quite well."

For a moment the six-year-old looked as though he wanted to say something, but seemed to think better of it. He kept his silence, expression a little melancholic.

Frowning slightly, the old man encouraged the child to continue, "Did you have something you wanted to ask, Harii-kun?"

Harry looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Kakashi-niisan doesn't like to talk about o-tousan," the boy said quietly, using the form of address he was used to hearing for his father, "I... I was just wondering..." He trailed off, feeling embarrassed and wondering if he'd crossed a line somewhere. He looked anxiously up at the man to gauge his reaction.

The Sandaime frowned at him thoughtfully for a long moment, trying to guess at what Harry would want to know that Kakashi—or even Minato—wouldn't tell him. At length he smiled again, although this time it was a little sad, "Let me guess... You were wondering how he died, Harii-kun?"

Somberly, the six-year-old nodded his head. The serious expression went a long way for making him look just like his brother had at that time. Of course, Kakashi had usually worn a mask by then, but the Third had seen him occasionally without.

The old man rubbed his beard in thought, glancing around. It was late enough in the afternoon that the worst of the heat had passed and things were becoming more active again. "This isn't a good place to discuss that, Harii-kun," he said seriously.

The boy's head bowed resignedly, obviously he hadn't expected to really be told.

Sarutobi smiled again, "However, if you'd like to come upstairs with me, perhaps I can tell you a thing or two." Harry looked up in surprise and the old man smiled indulgently, "Get your things, Harii." As the boy did so, he moved to open the door, "Do you know what that successor of mine is up to?" He switched smoothly back to the language he was more comfortable with—it was always best not to act suspiciously around groups of shinobi, even if you were a Hokage.

Harry hesitated, face scrunching up in thought as he worked the strap closed on his small bag. After considerable pause, he managed to answer in like, "Sensei is in a meeting," he explained, "It's... very important." He chanced a look up again, guarded eagerness just showing through in his expression.

"I see," Sarutobi said, ushering the boy ahead of him, "Then we will have to wait to see him." He paused a beat and walked beside the boy, leading the way to the stairs in back, "You really have improved a lot, Harii-kun."

A quick grin appeared on the six-year-old's face and the Sandaime smiled fondly. Kakashi hadn't smiled like that in quite some time. He hoped this one would never lose his smile.

"Perhaps, while we're waiting," Sarutobi mused, "We can take a look at that homework of yours."

Harry made a face of disgust, "Why?"

"Hmm..." The retired Hokage pierced the six-year-old with a knowing look, "You looked as though you were having a little trouble with it when I saw you... Or are you going to tell me you're doing as well with your book work as you are your Taijutsu?"

The boy flushed a little and looked down again, "I'm not," he admitted with embarrassment.

"It will come with time," Sarutobi assured the boy, steering him past the ninja who bowed their heads in respect for their retired leader. Any of them would still follow him with their lives, he knew.

* * *

Minato leaned back in his chair, staring vacantly at a map of Fire Country as his aides continued to argue. As much as he appreciated their input, he didn't particularly appreciate hearing it repeatedly. He wasn't a goldfish, after all, he could remember things for longer than three seconds.

He looked at the faces of his aides intently. They both appeared completely concentrated on each other, arguing the pros and cons of declaring war on Cloud so soon after resolving the one against Earth. Satisfied that they wouldn't notice, he quickly whipped his head around, catching sight of the clock on the wall behind him.

The Yondaime couldn't quite bite back a groan—they'd been at this for two hours already! Both older people looked down at him with equally severe looks of displeasure on their faces.

Minato grinned brightly and motioned for them to continue, "I'm listening," he assured them, "You both have fascinating points."

Their impression of him seemed to go up a notch and Minato put his rank up from right below a lobster to slightly smarter than a crustacean. At this rate, he'd be as bright as Kakashi's dogs within the year! Maybe they'd even let him start making some of the decisions, then.

Fortunately, before either could continue to press their point, a knock on the door interrupted them. Minato tried not to let his enthusiasm for the distraction show on his face.

"Yes?" He called out. The door opened and a slightly nervous Chuunin stepped partially in.

"You wanted to be told when Hatake-san was back, sir..." He started uncertainly.

Now wasn't the time for him to be moving on to other business, the Yondaime knew, but even a short break from this would be a relief, and he really did have something he needed to talk to the young Jounin about. He nodded, "Send him in."

"Yes, Yondaime-sama," the Chuunin complied, withdrawing again.

It took Minato several seconds to realize the silence in the room was filled with an uneasy tension. A glance up at his aides made the young man's heart drop—he'd been demoted to lobster again, it seemed.

He shrugged it off—if he needed to be a lobster to get a little relief, then it was a lobster he'd be. When he got off tonight, he'd put himself in a bowl of hot broth and make some lobster ramen.

The door opened again, and this time Kakashi stepped in. He bowed, formal as ever, "You wanted to see me, Yondaime-sama."

At any other time Minato would have chided the teen for using his title—of everyone, his students could stand to ease up on ceremony. Besides, with everyone calling him _Yondaime-sama_ all the time, he might soon forget his own name. But in front of his aides wasn't a good time to bring this up. He had no desire to slip below the intelligence level of a lobster. Again. When he'd first started training they had seemed doubtful that he could even sign his own name without their help.

"I have another mission for you, Kakashi," he said, trying to keep it as formal as he could himself. He felt bad for sending the kid out again, right after he'd returned from his last mission, but it couldn't be helped. Since the war ended, there was a noticeable deficit of Jounin level shinobi in the village, and this wasn't a mission he could send a bunch of Chuunin on alone.

Kakashi gave no reaction to the news. If he was disappointed, it didn't show. Minato had known it wouldn't.

"You'll leave tomorrow morning," the Yondaime continued, "Take your team up to the North-east border," he paused, suddenly realizing he had a map right in front of him. Smirking a little, he pointed the location out on the large map—he tapped on the border line twice, and his aides gave him another round of disapproving looks. "You'll be patrolling a ten kilometer stretch of the border here. You'll be expecting trouble—Cloud has been trying to move into our territory, and it is your duty to eliminate all invaders."

"Runners?" Kakashi asked concisely.

The Yondaime hesitated, then smiled, "No," he answered, "If they're running back to Lightning, let them go."

"Yondaime—" one of his aides began to argue.

Minato turned to frown at him, "We aren't officially at war with them yet, as you were just pointing out to me," he said, "Until we are, we will remain loyal to our side of the treaty." He smirked, "Besides, it would do them a little good to get horror stories back from the front lines. Maybe it will make them rethink the idea of attacking us while we're 'weak.'"

The aides were quiet for a moment.

"... It's not _such_ a bad plan," one of them admitted grumpily.

The other grunted in agreement.

Minato thought maybe the lobster had just surprised them by acting as smart as a cat. He smothered a laugh quickly—it wouldn't do to ruin the image he was creating for himself. Maybe it wouldn't take so long to earn their respect, after all.

"You'll be relieving Churiko-san," he continued, "Bring enough supplies to sustain you for a month, although with luck it won't take that long to bring you back." He pulled out a scroll and handed it to the teen, "These are the official orders of relief for Churiko-san," he explained, "You can go now, Kakashi. Get some rest."

Kakashi bowed again before leaving the room. Minato hoped he would take his advice—the boy looked tired.

The blond was pulled out of his thoughts by the _thump_ of something heavy hitting the table next to him, releasing a small cloud of dust. He stared at the thick book with wide eyes—_The Complete History of Konoha: Volume 7_. His aide flipped it open to a page he apparently knew by heart and turned the yellowed volume towards him.

"Now, as you can see, Yondaime, we've had trouble with the Cloud in circumstances like these before..."

Minato's shoulders slumped slightly as he resigned himself to more lectures and discussion of tactics.

* * *

Harry reluctantly pulled himself up a little straighter in his seat, frowning down at the kanji in the manual and the kanji in the dictionary. He rubbed his eyes with his fists, tired from spending so much time staring at the tiny symbols that were all starting to look alike by now.

He sighed when it didn't magically give him the answer, and leaned back in his chair with a huff, "I don't know."

"Well, that is a difficult one," Sarutobi agreed encouragingly, "Try looking in your dictionary again."

"I already looked," Harry complained, making no move to lean forward, "It's not in there."

The Sandaime raised an eyebrow, "Oh? I think it is, Harii-kun."

Harry knew he was probably right, but it didn't make him any happier when he heaved a heavy sigh and leaned forward to pour over the two books again. He squinted at the symbol in the handbook, then began the tedious task of looking through the dictionary again, skimming down rows with his fingers.

At last he found what he was looking for two pages later—apparently it was coded 2-13-6 and not 2-11-6 like he'd thought. He frowned down at it, squinting between the dictionary symbol and the one in the handbook, then looked up at the retired Hokage questioningly, "Kei?" He asked before peering down to laboriously read out its meaning in the dictionary, "To... warn... gu-guard," he supplied, frowning deeply as he tried to figure out what it meant.

Giving up, he looked up again, "What does it mean?"

"Try reading the sentence," Sarutobi suggested, "See if you can figure it out from the context."

With a heavy sigh, Harry turned back to his handbook, reading the foreign text with some difficulty, "Shinobi Law Number Fourteen... A shinobi must be prepared for every known danger and..." He referred to the dictionary again, "Guard? ... against those of an unknown nature."

He frowned in thought, trying to match the word against what he knew of the sentence already, "It means... to look out for things you don't know about?"

"Hmm... that's part of it," Sarutobi agreed, "To look out for things of a dangerous nature you may not know about, and to prepare yourself for unexpected things."

Harry's mouth opened in understanding and he looked down again, "So... it means to look out and prepare?"

"This precept is about being prepared more than on your guard," the Sandaime explained. He smiled slightly and added, "There's another one for that."

Harry frowned in confusion, then clarified, "It means... to prepare more than it means look out?"

The Third nodded—he hadn't realized until now just how much behind his classmates Harry was academically. His grades would undoubtedly be affected just because he couldn't read as well as the others, and he obviously didn't enjoy it. Furthermore, his vocabulary still wasn't nearly as high as other children his age, simply because he hadn't had enough time to learn as many words as them. He really needed more than three-hour supplementary classes once a week—he needed a daily language tutor.

Carefully, the boy scribbled down messy notes on his paper, then looked down to the next entry, "Shinobi Law Number fifteen..." He started unenthusiastically—he was beginning to get tired of looking at those first characters.

Luckily for Harry, it was then that the door opened and his work was interrupted again.

The blond paused in the doorway, staring with confusion at the scene he'd walked into upon entering his office. He'd finally gotten away from that meeting—they'd decided holding off a declaration of war to see if Minato's plan of scaring the Cloud would work—and he'd been hoping to have some time to get through some of his paperwork. But someone else seemed to have beaten him to his desk.

"Sandaime-sama," he acknowledged his predecessor, then looked to the second half of the strange pair, "Harii-kun... what are you two doing here?"

Harry was quick to turn away from his homework again, bouncing out of the chair—the Hokage's chair, no less—and to his feet, a picture of excitement, "Sensei, do you want to have ramen tonight?"

"Eh?" Minato had to think about that for a minute. The meeting had gone on much longer than he'd intended, but even a Hokage had to eat. Plus, he really wanted a chance to check on Kakashi before he left again. He smiled, "Sounds like a good idea, Harii," he agreed cheerfully, "We can ask Kakashi to join us, too, he just returned..." The Yondaime looked about for a clock, "About an hour ago, I guess."

Harry's eyes widened, "Kakashi-niisan's back?!"

"I'm afraid he's not going to be in the village very long this time," Minato said reluctantly, hating that he had to crush the small boy's hopes. But there really hadn't been anyone else available for the mission and Churiko had already been in the field for three weeks. "He's leaving again tomorrow."

As predicted, the boy's face fell, but he surprised the man a little by asking, "To protect the village?"

The Yondaime smiled and nodded, "That's right," he confirmed, "He has a very important job to do. I would have liked to give him some time off, but he's the only one who can do it."

Harry nodded, "Kakashi-niisan has... an important job, because he's a shinobi."

Minato chuckled, "Well, it is very important."

"But not as important as _your_ job," Harry said.

Minato blinked, then laughed some more, rubbing the back of his head with a rueful grin, "I don't know about that... The Hokage is important to run the village, but without all the shinobi, I wouldn't have any support. The shinobi are at least as important as the Hokage."

Harry frowned slightly in thought.

The Yondaime turned to his predecessor, "You're not here for ramen, too, are you, Sandaime-sama?"

"Sarutobi," the Sandaime corrected mildly, "No, I stopped by to see if I could be of any assistance," he admitted, "Of course, then I ran into Harii-kun, and we've been working on his homework ever since."

"I'm almost caught up!" Harry added excitedly.

Minato frowned slightly, "You didn't tell me you were behind on your homework."

Harry frowned and appeared wary for a moment, uncertain whether he wanted to reply to that or not. After a few seconds he lifted his chin defiantly and edged a little closer to the Sandaime, "You've been busy."

Sarutobi, noticing the tension in the small frame, put a large, gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. Harry almost flinched from the contact, but relaxed again after a moment. The old man frowned.

Minato sighed, running his hands through his already messy hair and making it even worse, "Yeah, yeah," he mumbled. "I know I haven't been around much lately, Harii," he agreed guiltily, "But you know I don't do it on purpose, don't you? I still want to know what's going on in your life, I just don't have as much free time to spend with you."

Harry nodded, even though he still didn't see why as Hokage—_everyone's boss_—he couldn't get some time off whenever he wanted.

Minato smiled again, "Well, let's catch up with Kakashi and get some ramen," he said decisively, "You can tell me all about how school's been going, and Kakashi can tell us how his team's getting along now, right?"

"What will you tell us?" Harry asked.

Minato's smile widened into a mischievous smirk, "I'll tell you about how you should never take advice from someone who thinks you're a lobster."

Harry blinked in confusion—what was a _lobster_?—as Minato waved him out of the door. The six-year-old quickly gathered his things and scrambled to leave.

"Bye Sarutobi-jiisan!" He called over his shoulder before rushing into the halls.

"At least you managed to convince one," Minato told the Sandaime with amusement before he turned to follow the boy.

"Minato," the old man interrupted, causing the blond to pause and look back with a frown.

"Someone needs to talk to him," Sarutobi continued.

Minato frowned in confusion, "I am going to talk to him. Tonight. I'll try to get around to it more often."

"That's not what I mean," Sarutobi said dryly, "Although I'm sure he will appreciate it. Harii-kun should know about his father."

Minato was silent for a long moment, "... I would rather Kakashi be the one to talk to him about that."

"Then get him to do so," the Sandaime said, "He won't feel comfortable if no one will tell him where he came from, what happened in his past." And it was extremely important that the boy learn to feel at home here.

Slowly, the Yondaime nodded, "I'll talk to Kakashi," he promised, "After he gets back from his next mission. We'll decide how to break it to him."

Reluctantly, the old man nodded. It would be good if Kakashi was involved, but he really didn't think the young Jounin would want any part in retelling the story of his father's death. It had always been a rather sensitive subject for him—understandably.

Minato heaved a sigh and turned to leave again, casting a smile back over his shoulder at his predecessor, "I think I'll see if Ichiraku's has got any lobster ramen tonight."

* * *

The two boys slowly got their things together as the long class finally drew to a close. Three hours was longer than most of them could sit still—it was definitely longer than they'd ever been asked to sit still at the Academy.

About half the class had ended up in the level 4 language class, with Harry and Tenzou among them. This was only their third class—the first week having been taken up by a placement test rather than a real class—but it was already easy to see this was going to be the very worst class. There was tons of repetition to aide memorization, and they were always assigned several hours of homework for the week.

"Harii," Tenzou started as the two headed for the door, "Guess what today is."

Harry blinked at him, then frowned in thought. He couldn't think of anything special about today, "… Your… birthday?"

The older boy cracked a small smile, "No," he shook his head, "I'm moving out of the hospital today."

Harry brightened, eyes widening, "You are? Why didn't you tell me? That's great!"

Tenzou nodded, "I'm moving in with Ichikaru-san. He's going to be tutoring me, too." He frowned at that, "It seems like someone's really eager to make me a shinobi."

Harry nodded in agreement, "But the normal graduation age is nine," he pointed out, "And if you're already nine, then that might be why they want you to graduate so quickly."

The older boy shrugged, "Maybe," he agreed doubtfully. Leaning closer to the younger boy he added, "I think they want to use my Mokutan."

Harry frowned slightly, "For what?"

Tenzou shrugged again, "Controlling trees can be really useful. Besides, remember when you found me? Everyone seemed really surprised that I could do it."

"They were surprised that I could talk to snakes, too," Harry pointed out bemusedly, "But they didn't give _me _a tutor." Harry was glad because a tutor would probably make him do even _more_ work—he had enough teachers as it was.

"That's because you talked to snakes on accident," Tenzou said, "If you did it on purpose, they probably would."

Harry blinked, "Really?"

Tenzou shrugged, "Maybe. I think that's a really useful thing, too."

Harry frowned—it did seem useful, but if he couldn't do it again it didn't really matter. He decided to change the subject, instead, "Hey, can I see where you're going to live now?"

The older boy nodded, "I still have to find out, too. Ichikaru-san is going to meet me at the hospital so I can get the rest of my stuff before I leave."

* * *

Harry had hoped that with Tenzou out of the hospital, they'd be able to hang out more often outside of school, but the Special Jounin the older boy had moved in with kept him busy with school work. Harry was beginning to grow accustomed to Isao-sensei's way of speaking, though, so he was beginning to do a little better in class—at least he didn't get lost so often during lectures. He was, however, still hopelessly behind in his homework, and the supplementary language classes had done little more than give him _more_ work.

Minato had spoken with the Chuunin manning the desks downstairs, and told them he wanted Harry to be able to go up to his office in the afternoons, so Harry spent most of his time after school there, painstakingly trying to catch up on his homework while the Yondaime painstakingly tried to catch up on his paperwork. Afterwards, they would drown their sorrow together in large bowls of noodles, which the nearly-seven-year-old could actually finish now.

"Kakashi will be back soon," the blond said abruptly as the two left the office for their daily dose of ramen.

Harry looked up at him in surprise, for a moment not even noticing the grueling heat of the early summer day, "Really?!"

Minato smiled, obviously just as pleased as the boy, "Yep. I sent his replacement off just today. It'll take about a week with traveling time."

Harry's expression dropped slightly. It wasn't _really_ soon, then, but it had already been three weeks since he'd seen him, so he couldn't be too disappointed. At least the lengthy separation was coming to an end.

The pair slid into their usual seats at Ichiraku Ramen and Minato ordered. He turned back to Harry, "So... what did you do today?"

Harry made a face, "We took a test this morning," he grumbled.

Minato raised an eyebrow, "Oh? How'd you do?"

From Harry's face he could tell it wasn't good. The boy sighed, "It's not fair," he complained, looking at the well worn wood of the counter, "I can't read as well as everyone. And Isao-sensei can't read my writing easy. He doesn't give me enough time to do well and we can't use the dictionary to look up words."

The man frowned thoughtfully at him for a moment, then decided, "You need to practice reading more."

Harry frowned. He hated reading—why did they need to know _three_ different ways to read? It made everything too complicated! "I do practice reading," he complained, "When I do my homework." Which he didn't do much of because it was so tedious and _hard_, but that was beside the point.

"Well, you should practice with something you like," Minato said with amusement, "Then reading your homework won't be so bad." He smiled, "You know, Kakashi reads adventure books to practice his reading and writing."

Harry frowned, "Adventure... books?"

"Fun books about made-up people who... go on exciting trips, defeat mean bad guys, and save the day!" Minato supplied enthusiastically, "He enjoys it so it's easy for him to stay focused."

Harry couldn't imagine it being hard for Kakashi to stay focused for anything.

"We'll have to find some fun books for you to read," Minato decided. He frowned thoughtfully, "I'll bet Kakashi still has some of his old books from when he was your age…"

Harry recalled the small history book he owned—the one with his name inside the cover. He smiled, it would be nice to have some more books. Especially if they were really his... with his name in the cover. He'd decided he quite liked the look of his name on things—he'd tried to write it on the weapon pouch Kakashi gave him, but the older boy had frowned and said it wasn't a good idea to write his name on anything he brought out into the field.

Their soup came then and both males quickly picked up their chopsticks, snapping them apart—Harry with a little difficulty. Minato quickly dug into his large bowl of ramen with a gusto, only to pause as he noticed Harry wasn't eating.

He watched the boy out of the corner of his eye, still slowly munching on his ramen as his eyebrows drew closer and closer together in confusion. At last he swallowed and spoke up.

"Harii-kun... what are you doing?" The man asked.

Harry frowned, "Trying to make them go."

Minato raised an eyebrow, "Go?" He asked, eyeing the pair of chopsticks on the boy's palm that certainly weren't going anywhere at the moment.

"With chakra," Harry added, "Isao-sensei started teaching us. We should be able to... concentrate chakra through our hands to make something go."

Minato stared at him for a moment, then at his chopsticks. With a smirk, he held out his own hand and applied a little repelling chakra, pushing the chopsticks from his hand into the air.

"Like this?" He asked innocently.

Harry looked up and gaped at him, staring at the blue energy pooled in his palm and lightly stretching out along the length of the underside of the chopsticks.

"Cool! How can you do that?" He demanded.

"Like your sensei said," Minato shrugged, allowing the chopsticks to fall into his hand again and returning the tips to his ramen, "I concentrate my chakra, push it out of my palm, and push it up at the chopsticks to make them 'go.'"

Harry continued to stare as the man returned to his meal. He looked back at his chopsticks and set his mouth in a heavy frown, forehead wrinkling as he concentrated as much as he could.

He thought he felt _something_. Like someone tickled the palm of his hand with a feather; but nothing happened. The boy sighed in disappointment.

"You'll get it eventually, Harii," Minato assured the boy around a mouthful of noodles, "Don't sweat it for now. Your ramen's going to get cold."

Taking the hint, Harry reluctantly turned his attention to his meal.


	19. Chakra Control

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Harry Potter, or Fridays.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Not much to say this chapter. Violence near the end, and there's one technique you may or may not want defined. I'll define it for you here, either way. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Doku Gokai no Jutsu: Poison Salamander Technique

Chapter 19 – Chakra Control 

It was three hours later when Mrs. Figg returned home to find the police and fire department had closed off her street. Four houses were burning and Number Four, Privet Drive was a hollowed out wreckage. The fire fighters weren't even attempting to fight off the fires any more, but sat at the end of the street, spraying flames that ran from house to house in an attempt to keep them isolated to the single street.

There were news cameras and ambulances and even though everyone was speculating—mostly that it was a newly developed weapon—only Mrs. Figg knew what really happened, as her terrified eyes rose to land on the glowing green scull floating in the sky.

The Aurors arrived in record time, half of them containing the Fiendfyre and the other half attempting to reconcile the muggles.

As the fires were put under control, a small group of them approached the Dursley residence. The house was burned to the ground, the overwhelming stench of burnt rubber and flesh hanging in the air around it. There were sections still standing, but even those were charred black and unstable.

A man with graying black hair frowned as his right eye roved over the scene freely. It paused on one particularly blackened section of the ruins and he immediately made his way across it, smothering a fiend or two still hiding in the embers.

He came to a small, blackened door and immediately grabbed for the handle. He drew his hand back with a growl as the metal burned him.

"A little hot?" An amused voice asked behind him.

He turned with a glower, "A little cold," he growled at his apprentice. She frowned in confusion and he paused to consider what he'd just said.

The two exchanged looks and he quickly wrapped a cloth around his hand and tried the door again. It came open easily enough and he peered into the darkened room inside.

The younger woman helpfully held up her wand, a light shining from the end of it and the two aurors looked carefully through the small, cluttered cupboard, the walls glittering slightly with frost.

It looked as though someone had lived in there for years. There was a small set of drawers crammed in one corner, some of the drawers half open to reveal clothes that had been shoved messily inside. There were cobwebs on the ceiling, and a small hanging light bulb that no longer worked. Then there was a small bed, stretching nearly the entire length of the cupboard.

A small bump in the blankets is what drew the aurors' attention. They both attempted to step through the doorway at the same time, but found that they were in each other's way. The man glowered at his assistant and she reluctantly hung back to let him stoop inside first.

He approached the bed carefully, bent almost double. It was smoky in here, and the smell of burnt flesh was thick in the air, but things looked mostly untouched by the fire. Cautiously, he reached towards the lump, feeling the warmth of another body through the blanket. He almost sighed in relief, but gave the small mass a shake instead.

"Potter?" He asked gruffly.

A small whimper of fear came from the lump and it curled in tighter on itself, "L-leave m-m-me alone."

The man frowned, glancing back at his companion.

She stepped inside as well—there was barely enough room for both adults to crouch in the cupboard. She placed a gentle hand on the lump and massaged it a little.

"It's okay, Harry," she said softly, "The bad people are gone now, you're okay."

The lump shifted slightly, but the child made no attempt to crawl out.

"Harry? Can you hear me? It's alright now, I said," the woman repeated carefully.

The lump on the bed started to shake slightly, and both adults could easily hear the child's sobs. The man turned gruffly away, but inside he felt for the child. The woman leaned closer and gently began to move the blankets back.

A small, miserable looking boy was curled up on the mattress. His face was pressed into his arms, and his clothes and skin were singed. His messy white hair was spotted with blood, and he stank horribly. The woman ignored his state and reached out to him, wrapping her arms awkwardly around his shaking form in a sort of half-hug.

The boy responded quickly and shifted so that he was latching onto her instead of curled into himself, hiding his face in her chest. The woman whispered to him softly, and brushed back his messy hair tenderly, unable to fully imagine what he must have just gone through.

At last, the man spoke again, "I'll let Dumbledore know he's alive."

The woman nodded—she didn't need to be told to stay with him. She wouldn't be leaving the boy anytime soon.

* * *

"Ouch," the teen hissed, shooting a glare at the brunet he was walking beside, "Knock it off!"

"Shut up!" The other hissed back, "You're going to get us in trouble!"

"I would if you'd stop—itai!" The teen instinctively flinched away from the probing finger, "Stop poking me!"

"Then be quiet," the brunet retorted, poking the other teen's side again.

Kakashi had been steadily developing a headache the entire way home—over the past three days since they'd left a border. It was like his two subordinates had been holding everything back while they'd been on duty, and now that they were assured of their safety, they had to let out all of that..._ silliness_ at once.

"Itaaiii!" The black haired boy whimpered again.

Kakashi had no idea how the teens had been promoted to Chuunin. Sure, they worked well enough on the battlefield, but off of it was an entirely different story. He was somewhat impressed they hadn't been killed yet... by their own teammates.

"Both of you shut up," Kakashi demanded grumpily.

"Aw, come on, lighten—ouch!" This time it was the brunet who was cut off by an elbow to his ribs.

"Are you insane?" The other teen hissed, "Telling Kakashi-senpai to lighten up is like painting a bright red target on your chest and dancing in front of the enemy!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. He really hated his team.

"Just shut up until we're back at the village," Yaro, the oldest member of the team at seventeen, ordered.

He was more mature than the fourteen and fifteen-year-old Kakashi was forced to deal with, but he was no less annoying in Kakashi's book. He bossed people around like _he_ was the team leader—he'd even had the tenacity to try and boss _Kakashi_ around on occasion. What was worse was that the other two Chuunin _did_ listen to him. More so than they listened to Kakashi, at any rate.

When the gates of Konoha finally came into view, Kakashi was more than happy to see them. Even Obito had never been as annoying as this team.

Scowling, he pushed the thoughts of his teammate down and approached the Chuunin on guard duty with his relief scroll.

The routine procedure took a matter of minutes and they were allowed into the village.

"Well, captain?" The brunet turned to him with a smirk and Kakashi pointedly ignored the sarcasm in the question.

"That's it. Formulate your reports for Yondaime-sama and have them ready to turn in by tomorrow," he ordered sharply before taking his leave.

He should be reporting into the Hokage immediately, he knew, but he'd been gone from Konoha for a month and had some long-overdue business to attend to.

The thirteen-year-old dropped out of the trees right in front of the Memorial Stone, allowing his momentum to drag him down into a crouch. His eyes scanned quickly through a few names before coming to rest on the name he'd been painfully aware of missing for the last four weeks.

_Obito..._

Chest clenching at the reminder of his friend—yes, Obito had been his _friend_, as he'd come to realize in the last few months—Kakashi bowed his head, staring morosely at a cluster of flowers someone had placed at the base of the stone. Guiltily, Kakashi wondered if maybe he should have brought Obito some flowers, but after a few minutes of thought he dismissed it.

If he ever brought Obito flowers, the other boy would probably think the end of the world had arrived. The thirteen-year-old reflected that the end of the world would probably have to have arrived for him to bring _flowers_ for his _annoying_ teammate.

But he would, too, if he thought it would bring the loud-mouthed Uchiha back.

Kakashi's heart settled somewhere in the midst of his stomach and he allowed depressing thoughts to churn inside of him. He'd be a little late for his meeting with the Yondaime, but his sensei would understand.

* * *

Minato landed in front of the Memorial Stone and shook his head at the unconscious teenager he found there. With a sigh, he bent over and picked the boy up—Kakashi stirred in his sleep, but didn't wake.

A quick assessment revealed no major injuries, so the Yondaime headed back to his apartment. He was confident that the boy just needed some rest. He'd been busy with missions lately and was undoubtedly exhausted.

* * *

Harry walked out of school with another mass of homework added to what he was already behind on. He sighed—he'd never thought school would be quite this hard.

"Harii-san," a familiar voice called out, volume carefully measured to just make it over the noise of the dispersing students.

Harry looked up in surprise and he grinned, confused but happy. "Kakashi-niisan!" He hurried through the crowd of students to the older boy, "What are you doing here?" Kakashi had been back five days now, but it was the first day he'd ever met him after school.

"Picking you up," Kakashi said matter-of-factly, "Now, come on, let's go."

"Go where?" Harry asked in confusion, following after him.

"Sensei wants us to meet him at his office," Kakashi replied.

Harry wondered why he had to be picked up for that, but decided not to question his good fortune. Instead he smiled, even the oppressive heat not dampening his mood much.

"Kakashi-niisan," he started after a few minutes of contented silence, "Are we going to live together forever?"

"... If we are we won't be sharing rooms that long," Kakashi muttered under his breath.

Harry looked up at him curiously, "Kakashi-niisan?"

"We're not going to live together forever, Harii," the older boy said sternly—he wasn't about to risk putting ideas like that into the boy's head. "Probably at least until you graduate from the Academy, though."

Harry blinked, then smiled, "I'm never going to graduate, then."

"Then you'll never be a shinobi," Kakashi retorted, "Besides, you'll be dropped from the program if you haven't graduated by the time you're fifteen. It counts the same either way."

Harry frowned, "So we can only live together until I'm fifteen?"

"It doesn't matter," Kakashi said, wanting to drop the subject, "We'll deal with that when the time comes."

Reluctantly, the six-year-old nodded.

Kakashi led the way into the Hokage's Tower and up to the top. Minato was waiting for them in his office. Behind a large stack of paperwork.

"Yondaime-sama," Kakashi started, only to be interrupted.

"Now, now, Kaka'hi," he sounded like he had something in his mouth, "I told you no' to call me that."

Kakashi frowned, "Is this a bad time, sensei?"

"Nonshense!" The Forth assured him, popping up from behind his paperwork with the handle of a brush lodged between his lips, a pen in one hand, and ink stains smudged just about everywhere.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Harry laughed. The man flushed a little and disappeared behind his paperwork again, soon emerging without the extra writing utensils and a towel he was using to wipe his face and hands.

"Nonsense, Kakashi!" Minato repeated, grinning, "This is the perfect time! I need a break, Sandaime-sama needs something to do, and Harii-kun has the next two days off school."

The teen frowned, "What are we going to do that takes two days?"

"Well, there's this nice hot springs that recently opened nearby, Sonma Onsen," Minato explained—and his aides were going to think him more of a lobster than ever for taking so much time off. "Harii-kun has never been to a place like that before, and it would be a good opportunity for us all to bond a little, don't you think?"

Kakashi stared at him dully, "You can't be serious."

"What's a hot springs?" Harry asked with a frown.

"I'm not going," Kakashi said, "I have better things to do."

Minato pouted at the boy, "But, 'Kashi-kun, it'll be really fun! You need to get out more! When's the last time you've been to an onsen?"

Kakashi looked away and didn't reply.

"That settles it," the blond declared, "We're going!"

"Where?" Harry pressed, annoyed that he was being ignored.

"To the hot springs," Minato replied cheerfully.

"But what _is_ it?" Harry asked with exasperation.

"It's like a bath outdoors," Kakashi supplied unenthusiastically.

Harry frowned in confusion, "We're going to a bath?"

"We better go pack," Minato said, "I want to leave soon, okay? We only have two days to get there, enjoy it, and get back, so we have to hurry!"

"A bath?" Harry repeated incredulously, wondering why he was the only one who seemed to think this was strange.

"Just give up," Kakashi said dryly, "We can't dissuade him. Sensei's stubborn."

Harry frowned and did give up—he could see that his questions weren't going to be answered any time soon.

* * *

Minato sat back with a self-satisfied smile, leaning his head back to look at the clear sky through rising clouds of steam. The sky was dark, but countless stars and a bright, full moon took the edge from the darkness of the early night.

Harry was slouched down enough so that even his chin was dipping in the hot water, eyes raised to stare shamelessly at Kakashi. Specifically the left eye the older boy had been keeping covered ever since Obito died. He kept it closed, but a large scar ran through it from just above his eyebrow straight down to his cheek bone. Harry couldn't help but wonder why he kept it closed—did he lose the eye underneath it? Maybe all that was there was an empty socket...

Kakashi pointedly tried to ignore his brother's gawking, feeling distinctly uncomfortable and annoyed that he'd been made to come along on this stupid "vacation." He leveled a single-eyed glare at his teacher, who remained annoyingly oblivious. When that did nothing, he turned his head a bit, purposefully angling it so the left side of his face was away from Harry.

Minato looked down at the two boys again and smiled fondly, "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

"Hn," Kakashi grunted, glaring again.

"Hmm," Harry intoned, tilting his head a little in an attempt to see if his brother had opened his eye yet, while trying not to make his intentions obvious.

Kakashi noticed and scowled at the younger boy, "What?"

Harry's already flushed face turned a little hotter, "Nothing," he muttered self-consciously, looking at sensei, then the sky, then returning his eyes to stare at Kakashi again. The older boy rolled his eye.

"Well, I think since we're all the way out here, we should use this opportunity to get to know each other more," Minato said lightly, "So why don't we take turns asking each other things?"

Kakashi looked even more annoyed now, "That's what you brought us out here for?" He asked in irritation, "That's stupid—we could ask each other things at home, too."

Minato ignored him, "Harii-kun, why don't you go first? Isn't there something you'd like to ask me or Kakashi?"

Harry looked uncertainly between the two other males and Minato nodded at him encouragingly, "Go on, Harii, anything you want to ask."

Screwing up his courage, Harry looked at Kakashi again, "Is your eye empty?"

Minato gaped at the boy in complete surprise and Kakashi looked at him sharply, several emotions flickering across his face until it finally settled on irritation.

"What are you talking about?" He asked sharply.

Harry blushed again, "Well... you keep it closed all the time," he pointed out, "Is it because it's empty?"

Minato's thoughts raced as he tried to figure out how he would save this night. He thought Kakashi might be ready to talk about his father by now, but Obito was still a raw wound and he was sure the thirteen-year-old would _not_ appreciate probing questions about his teammate's death.

"It's not empty, idiot," Kakashi grumbled, pointedly glaring at a rock formation on the other side of the spring from them.

Harry frowned a little, "Then why do you keep it closed?"

"None of your business," Kakashi retorted.

"Ah... Kakashi, why don't you ask a question, next?" The Yondaime suggested quickly, hoping a nice change of subject might distract the six-year-old from his brother's eye.

"Can we go to bed yet, sensei?" The teen asked irritably.

It wasn't the change of subject he'd been hoping for, but Minato sighed in resignation. It seemed he wasn't going to get far tonight. Apparently, neither boy was willing to cooperate with his plans tonight. Maybe tomorrow would go better.

"Hai, hai," he allowed reluctantly, "But take Harii-kun with you. I'm going to stay out a little longer." He had plans to make, after all.

"Come on Harii," Kakashi ordered, wasting no time in wading to the edge of the springs.

Blushing and looking intently at the water in front of him, Harry followed, self-consciously wrapping himself in the towel Kakashi held out to him almost before he was even out of the water. The boy blushed the entire way back to the inn while Kakashi coolly ignored his embarrassment.

Minato shook his head in fond amusement and turned his face back to the sky, sinking a little deeper into the relaxing water. He hadn't realized how much stress had built up over the last six months, but the hot water was working wonders on his knotted muscles.

* * *

"I really think you should tell him about it," Minato insisted.

Kakashi scowled, "If he wanted to know, he'd ask."

"He has asked," the man reminded, "He's brought it up a few times now."

"Why don't you just tell him?" Kakashi asked petulantly.

"I think it would be better coming from you," Minato returned reasonably.

"You didn't seem to have a problem telling Obito," the thirteen-year-old retorted scathingly, "That _was_ you, wasn't it? He'd never have figured it out on his own." A small, rebellious part of his mind couldn't help but add that maybe he'd still be alive if he hadn't known. At the very least, maybe he could go on like he didn't care if his teammate hadn't brought _that_ up.

Minato sighed and ran a hand through his blond spikes, "Just think about it, okay? You guys don't really talk outside of training. This would be a good time for the two of you to connect as brothers."

Kakashi looked away, annoyance flashing in his uncovered eye, "I thought this might be something like that," he grumbled, "Not everyone is like you, sensei. We don't need to talk about things like that to get along. Harii and I are fine the way we are."

"Try thinking of things from his point of view," Minato directed wearily, "He hasn't been here that long and he doesn't know anything about his family or his past here. He doesn't really have any standing ties to the village, other than the fact that he lives here with us. Don't you think he might really want to know stuff like that?"

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Kakashi sighed, and looked at the man dully, "I'll say something to him if he asks, okay?"

The man sighed again—it was unlikely he'd get anything better from his stubborn student. Reluctantly, he nodded, "Okay. Let's find Harii-kun and get some lunch."

Kakashi eyed him suspiciously, wondering what else the man had up his sleeves, before following him back into the building.

* * *

"How was your vacation?" Sarutobi asked when his successor entered the office the next afternoon.

"Hn," Minato grunted.

The older man laughed, "That good?"

"If you don't count Harii and Kakashi avoiding each other like an earth jutsu for the last twenty-four hours," Minato supplied. He sighed, "At least the ANBU reported no trouble... I'm beginning to think they're better off without our meddling, even if they never really talk."

"Either that or we need to take our meddling up a notch," Sarutobi mused.

Minato looked reluctant, "Kakashi did promise to talk to him about it if he asked..."

"I think this one will be good for all parties," Sarutobi assured his protégé, "Harii-kun needs help on his homework, and my son could stand to learn a little more responsibility..."

* * *

The shinobi were recalled from the front lines as summer hit Konoha. The heat had hit an all time high for Harry, and he avoided being outside as much as possible. To make matters worse, it was humid more often than not, the sticky air making things all the more uncomfortable.

Training, of course, continued at the Academy, and though all of the other students were just as sweaty as Harry afterwards, the instructors didn't seem particularly sympathetic to their plight. Tenzou wasn't in the same class as him half the time, either, which made the time outside just that much less enjoyable—the older boy had been moved up to the third year's Taijutsu class.

After school most of the students went down to the river to cool off. Harry usually went with them, and Tenzou occasionally managed to get permission to go for a little while, too.

"It's so cool," Harry told the older boy as they stripped as much as they could while remaining decent in the company of others, "They can just walk right onto it."

"Just… onto any water?" Tenzou asked curiously, sounding as though he wasn't quite sure whether to believe Harry's story or not.

Harry nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, I saw them do it lots of times! Sensei—um, Yondaime-sama sensei, I mean—he said it was because he used chakra in his feet."

Tenzou looked at the water thoughtfully, then shrugged, "Okay. I'll try it."

Harry gaped as the older boy moved to the river bank, closing his eyes as he focused his chakra. "You're really going to try?" The six-year-old asked incredulously, "It's really hard!"

"No offense, Harii, but you have awful chakra control," Tenzou replied blithely, eyes still closed, "My control is a lot better—I have to have good control to grow my trees."

Harry frowned dubiously—it was impossible for a kid like them to do that, wasn't it?

Tenzou opened his eyes and stepped out onto the water. For half a second Harry thought he was actually going to do it. The nine-year-old's face was a picture of concentration as he slowly eased his weight onto the foot he'd placed on the surface of the water.

Then, abruptly, the boy plummeted through the surface, bobbing up again a few seconds later, gasping and coughing. He was grinning, though, and seemed unhurt, so Harry didn't feel guilty for laughing a little.

"See?" The younger boy asked with a grin, "I told you it's really hard."

"It's too hot for training, anyway," Tenzou shrugged. He splashed some water at the younger boy, "Come on, the water's nice."

Harry complied, grinning as he jumped in, purposefully landing close enough to his friend so the wave splashed him back.

* * *

"Get your hands off me," the nin snapped spitefully at the Rock-nin steering him along.

The other man obligingly released his arm—there wasn't much point in holding him any longer, anyway.

There weren't a lot of them; only a handful of nin on both sides. Captured shinobi tended to expire before any sort of hostage exchange could be planned, but part of the agreement the two nations had signed stated that current prisoners would be released back to their respective countries.

Tension was high as the two groups of escorted prisoners met at the border, the captives composing themselves stonily as they awaited their fate. After several minutes of staring each other down, a Jounin from each side stepped forward, meeting in the middle.

Words were exchanged in low voices that the two lines of escorts couldn't hear. At length, they both returned to their respective sides.

"Ready the prisoners for exchange," the Rock-nin ordered his forces.

The Leaf-nin stood still as their enemies took the bindings from their hands and legs, and the tension in the air went up another level.

"… Release them!" The Jounin ordered.

The prisoners were prodded forward by their captors, and walked calmly towards the opposite line, as the Leaf-nin similarly released their captives. Any hasty movements now could mean the death of all.

Neither side was fully trusting of the other, just as neither side was fully honest. Some prisoners were more valuable than others—those would not be released, regardless of what the treaty said.

Tension reached its peak as the two sets of prisoners stepped past each other. The time for betrayal was near and both sides were ready for it.

The newly released Leaf-nin didn't even dare to breathe sighs of relief, even as they reached their own people and their own land once more. Even now it wasn't safe, not with the Rock still so close behind them.

The Jounin in charge barked out another order and the Leaf-nin slowly began to back away from the border, unwilling to turn their backs until they were certain their enemies were similarly gone. After all, there was such a thing as too much good faith.

The exchange went off without a hitch—unusual for shinobi proceedings of this sort—and the group of Leaf-nin turned for home.

* * *

Sarutobi Asuma scowled as he leaned against a tree outside the Ninja Academy, furious with his father for getting him involved in something like _this_. He'd considered skipping, but the old man had turned it into an official mission request—it would look bad on his record.

As children began pouring out of the Academy doors he scanned the crowd for a familiar face, relaxing a little. The boy wasn't a complete stranger, at least—he hadn't seemed so bad last time he'd met him. Besides, it was Kakashi's younger brother, so maybe he could get a little information out of the kid while he was at it.

"Hatake," he called out when he caught a glimpse of white hair moving through the crowd.

The boy paused, looking in his direction, then made his way over, a confused expression on his face. An older boy was right beside him, looking the Chuunin over distrustfully.

Asuma ignored the second boy, "Come on," he told Harry, "I'm supposed to help you study today."

"... Who are you?" Harry asked with bemusement.

Asuma scowled, "You don't remember me?" He asked, "I was at Kakashi's party last year."

Harry frowned, then shook his head, "I... don't remember."

Asuma rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets, "Che... Well, I'm Asuma, and thanks to my old man, I'm your tutor now."

"Your... dad?" Harry asked uncertainly.

The teen looked at him strangely, "You don't know anything, do you? The Sandaime Hokage."

Harry's eyes widened, "Your dad's Sarutobi-jiisan?"

"Yeah, yeah," Asuma rolled his eyes, "Now, let's go, I want to get this over with as quickly as possible."

"Oh... um, see you later, Tenzou," Harry awkwardly told his friend before hurrying after the teen, still confused about what was going to happen. He caught up with the older boy, "Asuma-san... what did you mean when you said you're my tutor?"

"Apparently, the Sandaime thinks you need extra help on your schoolwork," Asuma drawled, "So he used his evil, fatherly powers and recruited me. Of course, I'm a shinobi, too, so I'll only be able to help you occasionally, when I don't have missions or training, but I guess it's better than nothing."

Harry wondered what evil, fatherly powers were.

"Then again," Asuma added, looking down at the six-year-old, "You're Kakashi's brother, right? So maybe you won't need that much help, after all."

* * *

Kakashi stabbed up and behind himself, mercilessly shoving his blade up through the bottom of the nin's jaw and into his head. With an experienced twist of his wrist, he pulled it out and the ninja collapsed, dead even before he hit the ground. The teen didn't bother to wipe the blood from the blade, as most of the rest of him was stained by now, as well.

Someone screamed in pain and for a moment Kakashi thought it was Obito because it sounded like the time his teammate had had his collar bone broken. He'd called him a crybaby at the time, but Obito had been unusually quiet throughout the whole ordeal, really. He thought, maybe, that it had been a little unfair of him because, really, Obito hadn't been crying when he'd been crushed by that—

Reason reestablished itself and Kakashi acknowledged that it couldn't be Obito. Obito was dead. He focused blearily on the sand-nin in time to see him raising his sword for a death blow—a young, brown-haired teen bowed over in front of him, blood pooled around his knees to contrast sharply with his worryingly pale skin.

Without thinking, Kakashi shoved hit hitai-ate up and charged chakra energy into his hand. Half a second later the enemy had frozen, sword halfway through its arc to the Chuunin's head. Kakashi let the Chidori vanish as he pulled his arm out of the man's chest, pushing him over sideways so the body wouldn't fall on his teammate.

"You okay?" He asked, reaching for his medical kit as he could already tell that he really wasn't.

The Chuunin's head came up and green eyes struggled to focus, "Kakashi-san…?" He sounded disoriented—Kakashi was worried that he had a concussion; there was an awful lot of blood matted in his hair.

"Know how to use one of these?" Kakashi asked, waving the med-kit slightly and already knowing the other teen wouldn't be able to do much to heal himself.

The Chuunin made a clumsy grab for the kit, but his coordination was off and he missed. Kakashi bit off a curse—he didn't have time for this! The others were still fighting. He pressed the kit into the older boy's hand and opened it, pulling out bandages.

"Just direct me to the worst of your injuries," he ordered impatiently, using his other hand to begin removing the Chuunin's vest.

It seemed to take an extremely long time, Kakashi thought as he painstakingly tied bandages around the worst of his teammate's injuries. The brunet's voice was weak, a far cry from his usual confident tone, and he was slow in identifying where he was hurt. Still, it was only a matter of minutes until he had taken care of the major problems as much as he could.

"Keep pressure here," he told the other teen, moving his arm until his hand was covering a particularly nasty gash in his side, "I'll be back after I help the others."

The Chuunin made a noise that could have been confirmation and Kakashi got to his feet, tilting his hitai-ate down again as he scanned the area briefly for signs of where the others went before a shout alerted him to the proper direction.

* * *

"Harii, good, you're here!" The Yondaime's pile of papers had shrunk noticeably since the last time he'd been in the office. The man waved him over enthusiastically to his side.

Frowning slightly in confusion, Harry quickly complied, "Tenzou couldn't come swimming today, so… what?" He broke off as the man made an awkward grab for his hand.

"Give me your hand," the man said in explanation, holding his own palm out expectantly rather than making a second grab for it.

Eyebrows lowering, Harry did, watching curiously as the man dipped the brush he held in his other hand into an ink well. The boy's fingers twitched as the man began to move the brush across his skin, leaving thick lines of ink behind, but Minato held his hand firmly open until he'd completed the last stroke in an odd, circular pattern.

"Next the other," the man instructed, dropping Harry's right hand and holding his hand out expectantly. Harry moved his fingers to rub at the odd feeling of drying ink but the man stopped the motion with a few quick words, "Don't touch it, yet!"

Nodding in bemusement, Harry made sure his hand was open again before lifting the other, "What are you writing on me for?"

"It's a seal I've been working on," Minato muttered as he applied crisp, sure strokes to the boy's other palm, "It should let you control your chakra easier. You've still been having trouble with that, haven't you?"

Harry sighed, his fingers twitching again, "I can't do _anything_ with it."

"We'll try this, then," the man said, "It should work. It'll be kind of like…" His lips quirked in amusement, "Training wheels for chakra. It'll help you out as you get used to molding chakra…"

Harry looked down at both of his palms as the man set his brush aside. At first glance, the designs were identical, small lines and curves intercepting a larger swirl pattern, but upon closer observation, Harry could see small differences in the pattern on his left hand and the one on his right.

"Some people just have a hard time learning to use chakra," the man continued with a shrug, "Especially if they haven't experienced it all their lives like most children in hidden villages do. I think this will work well for you, Harii-kun."

"What do I do?" Harry asked with interest, still studying his palms.

"First let me have your hands again," Minato instructed, holding out both of his hands expectantly. Harry raised his hands uncertainly and the man took them into his own, "I'm going to activate the seals with a small amount of my own chakra," he explained before closing his eyes, "It will wear off slowly, so you'll be able to slowly adjust to molding your chakra on your own."

The man fell silent, concentrating, and Harry looked on with interest. He didn't see anything strange, but he did feel the same odd, tingly sensation he'd had when he tried to focus chakra into his hand at the ramen stand. Then the man opened his eyes and leaned back, looking satisfied.

"… Did it work?" Harry wondered—he didn't feel any different.

"What do you mean, did it work?" Minato asked with an amused smirk that belied his affronted tone, "I'm a genius, Harii, of _course_ it worked! Go ahead and give it a try!"

Harry stared at him blankly.

"Wait!" The man exclaimed, leaning over and momentarily disappearing under his desk. He returned a moment later with a triumphant smirk on his face and a leaf in one hand, "Shinobi keep tracking these in, thinking I don't notice or something… anyway, we might as well put one to use. Here."

Harry took it uncertainly, "Um…"

"Put it on your palm," the Yondaime instructed, "Push chakra into your hand to make it float. Remember, you were telling me about it a while back."

Harry nodded and held out his hand, palm up, placing the leaf on top of the seal. "I don't really know how," he mumbled self-consciously, cheeks a little pink.

"Just give it a try," Minato said, "It should be easy now."

Nervously, Harry nodded and looked down at his hand, trying not to dwell on how… _unnatural_ something like this was. He took a deep breath and concentrated, searching for that power inside of him that everyone seemed to think he had.

His mouth dropped open when the leaf moved as though a gust of wind had picked it up from his hand in the calm room. A sort of electric feeling was coursing out from his belly and down his arm. Almost immediately his concentration broke and the feeling was gone.

As strange as it was, it hadn't really been uncomfortable. On the contrary, it had been invigorating more than anything. Like a sudden burst of caffeine running through him.

Minato laughed at the boy's shocked expression, "Yeah, like that. Only next time, try not to get so surprised. I told you it would be easy."

* * *

The sand-nin grinned cruelly at the two Chuunin. The younger teen was crouched on the ground, an arm curled protectively around his chest. Yaro stood beside him, glaring at their enemy, hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"You bastard…"

"You two will never beat me," the man sneered, twirling a scroll in his hand, "The secrets on this scroll belong to Sunagakure. Even if you had an army you couldn't take it from me. Pathetic."

"That scroll belongs to Yondaime-sama," Yaro growled back. He reached into the pouches on his hips, "If you won't give it to us, I'll take it from your dead corpse!"

"Yaro, no!" The younger teen exclaimed in horror as the man pulled his arms back, now fully armed with six kunai, each of them wreathed in red, killing energy. The senior Chuunin narrowed his eyes a the sand-nin, and they gleamed with a fiery light.

"Let's see you block this," he growled, racing forward.

Kakashi skidded to a stop at the edge of the clearing just in time to see violet wisps of energy settling around the Sand-nin. The man held a sword in front of him, horizontal to the ground, and had his eyes fixed on the two Leaf-nin, the elder of which was slumping painfully to the ground at the foot of a tree. He laughed dryly.

"Is that all the village of Konoha's got?" He mocked icily, "How pathetic."

"What's pathetic is that you're still standing here," Kakashi cut in, stepping out of the trees, eyes narrowed at this new opponent, "You should have taken the scroll and ran while you had the chance."

A pair of dark eyes flashed over to him, narrowing in annoyance, "What's this? It can't be that a little runt like this is thinking of challenging Dosu, the Sand Village's number one expert in unbreakable jutsu."

Kakashi wasn't impressed, "Someone who has to announce their own talents can't be very formidable. I'll take you in six minutes."

The man glowered, expression hardening in anger. Kakashi started moving the same instant, hands automatically finding his own weapons.

"Kakashi-senpai!" Aki called in alarm, "He's got—"

Dosu formed a seal and violet chakra burst out of the ground around him, engulfing the kunai Kakashi threw and surging towards the white-haired teen, briefly forming a misshapen scull with yawning jaws as it closed in on him, the trailing energy forming together like the lumpy body of a giant sand-worm. The teen's uncovered eye widened minutely in surprise and the jaws clamped around his body, skin sizzling at the contact, the image again disappearing into a vaporous energy that blasted the teen towards the forest.

"I see…" A log clattered loudly into a tree as the chakra disappeared and Kakashi straightened in front of his teammates, frowning hard at the sand-nin, "So you're using _that_ kind of jutsu…"

Yaro stirred slightly where he was slumped and looked up at the younger boy, "It's useless," he coughed, "That chakra forms some kind of ultimate defense, nothing can get past it. And, what's worse, he can use it to attack as well as defend."

The sand-nin smirked, "He's right, brat. Nothing can defeat my Doku Gokai. Give up, and maybe I'll spare your life."

"Nothing can defeat it…?" Kakashi mused, "Is that true?"

Dosu scowled, "You doubt it? Then why don't you come over here and take back your little scroll?"

Three kunai suddenly appeared in Kakashi's left hand, "I think I will," he stated arrogantly, moving again.

"Kakashi!" Yaro snapped—the Jounin ignored him.

Dosu laughed at the teen's brashness and formed hand seals again.

"**Doku Gokai no Jutsu!**" The man's laugh faltered as a second voice joined his. He stared about wildly for the source of the echo, his defensive technique automatically countering the attacks of several kunai all around him.

"Something like this?" Kakashi asked, suddenly behind him.

Dosu turned to look, directing his chakra to attack at the same moment, only to find that he was already staring down a violet sandworm apparition, this one racing along the ground towards him. His eyes widened in disbelief as the two clashed, and he hastily jumped out of his protective shell, guarding his face with his arms as his own chakra lashed out at him.

The chakra imploded with a cloud of violet-tinted smoke, "How—" he started, only to find himself on the defensive as a white-haired boy with mismatched eyes attacked him viciously, kunai flashing. The sand-nin was barely able to counter the attacks with the sword he still held, holding ground until he was able to use his larger body to his advantage and lash back.

The boy went with the momentum of the blow and skidded back, taking a moment to collect himself, eyes narrowed.

"How did you—" Dosu started again, only to trail off as he finally took the boy's appearance in, "That eye…" His forehead protector had been pulled down before, he remembered suddenly, the brat must have moved it up sometime during the fight. In time to see his jutsu, apparently. Next to a single eye of dark, coal black, was a bright red orb, two black tomoe spinning lazily around the pupil.

"It seems like you've heard of this eye before," Kakashi said calmly, mind racing to form a plan. He'd used the Sharingan too much today, and on top of the Chidori he'd used a while back, he was running low on chakra. That last technique hadn't helped at all, either, it had been a pretty high level technique. "I should really be thanking you—I haven't been able to properly use it until just now." Somehow, in the heat of the moment, he'd given his eye a powerful boost of chakra, which allowed him to copy the technique of his opponent. It gave him a bit of a headache, really, but he thought he could duplicate the results with practice.

Dosu scowled, "You're an Uchiha."

Kakashi smirked, "Strike two," he retorted, gathering chakra in his hand—he should have just enough for one shot.

Blue-white energy began to jump around his hand and a high pitched chirping filled the clearing. "There won't be a strike three," he muttered before racing at the man, killing intent shining in both his eyes.

Dosu's eyes widened and he dodged to the side, aware of the lethality of an attack like that, but Kakashi's Sharingan saw and he followed, plunging his arm into the man at the last instant.

The Chidori died out and he stood there, panting, arm still buried within the sand-nin as the man's eyes dulled. His vision was blurry around the edges. He couldn't feel his legs.

Clumsily, he reached up to jerk haphazardly at his hitai-ate, managing to pull it down and cover the Sharingan before it could eat up any more of his dangerously low chakra supply.

"He… he did it…" Aki's amazed voice sounded behind him. Kakashi barely registered it.

_Not now!_ He thought desperately. There was still the mission to complete!

"_Idiot—you beat the bad guys, the others can handle the rest."_ With Obito's voice ringing in his ears, Kakashi slumped over his enemy, both of them falling to the ground.


	20. Unfinished Business

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I own nothing created by Rowling or Kishimoto. I own everything created by me. Including one slightly scewed airplane model.

Everyone keeps asking about when Minato is going to find out about Kushina's baby... Let me assure you all that he _will_ find out, and it _will_ be before all that business with the Fox. In fact, it is coming up very soon. If not in this chapter, then the next. If not in the next chapter, then the one after that. But... it _will_ be soon.

Now that that's out of the way--thanks for everyone's kind reviews! I appreciate them, and I always enjoy answering questions about the story... as long as it isn't a major point that I'll be covering in this story or its sequel. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 20 – Unfinished Business

Six days later Harry was still mostly unresponsive, trapped in a world of his mind's making. The six-year-old's physical injuries had been tended and were well on the way to complete recovery.

September was fast approaching and Albus Dumbledore was acutely aware that the boy would have to be sent away soon. Hogwarts would be opening for students within the week, and curious children snooping around the hospital wing and writing home would undermine the entire reason he hadn't been sent to St. Mungo's to begin with.

"What about the Weasleys?" Professor McGonagall suggested, "They have a boy around Harry's age—and they knew his parents."

"True, and Molly would never say no," Dumbledore mused, then sighed and shook his head, "But Molly has her hands full, already. It would be remiss of us to push another child on her."

Silence reigned for several minutes as the witch and wizard thought deeply. "What about the Diggorys?" The woman asked at length, "They only have one child, a boy a few years older than Harry, I believe."

"That would never do," the Headmaster sighed, "While Amos is a fine and upstanding man, his family is already prominent in the wizarding society. Harry would never be given the opportunity to grow up normally."

There was another weary silence.

"No, what Harry needs is somewhere out of the way," the old man mused, "Somewhere quiet he can finish growing up and recover from his traumas." He frowned thoughtfully, "A relation would be best, however distant they may be."

McGonagall frowned, "Yes, because giving him to his aunt and uncle worked out so splendidly," she said coolly, "He should at least remain in the wizarding world, Albus, muggles can't protect him from his enemies, even if they _are_ related by blood, apparently."

Dumbledore frowned—that was another thing he couldn't understand. All his research suggested Harry should have been safe with his mother's family. It was his mother's love that protected him from the killing curse—or so his research had led him to believe—and the mother's blood should have continued to protect him.

He sighed, dispelling such thoughts. They would lead nowhere just now. It seemed, though, that there was still much they did not know about Voldemort's defeat. He would need to research when he had the time.

"Perhaps," he allowed, nodding in respect to his fellow teacher, "But I would like to at least check on his other relatives. Perhaps one of them may serve a purpose, yet."

"If he has any other relatives," Minerva added dryly. She was less than impressed at how Harry's living arrangements had turned out. Of course, it wasn't only Dumbledore's fault, they had all agreed, but it was frustrating nonetheless, and Dumbledore provided a convenient scapegoat for her irritation. He didn't seem to mind overly much, either.

"All we can do is check," the Headmaster agreed, "Please call Severus for me, Minerva. We will meet in the infirmary."

* * *

"Yondaime-sama!" The door to the Hokage's office nearly cracked off of its hinges at the rough treatment and Minato jerked in surprise, already on his feet as the bloodied man stepped in, two aides from the office right behind him.

For a split-second the Yondaime drew a blank on the teen's name, simply because of how unexpected his appearance was, "Urusii Aki," he acknowledged a second later.

The boy was out of breath and looked as though he'd just gotten in from a mission—the knowledge of exactly what mission hit the Hokage a second later and his face paled a shade.

"What is it? Did something happen?" He demanded.

"We were attacked by sand-nin on our way home," the teen related briefly, showing none of the nervousness he usually did in the Yondaime's presence.

Apparently, Minato realized, this was going to be like pulling teeth, "The scroll?" He prompted, even though he really wanted to ask after his student right away. That scroll was of extreme importance—it had cost a lot to procure it from Cloud and to lose it now would be an insult on all those that had sacrificed their lives to get it this far. And, possibly even more worrisome, were the consequences that would come from Cloud finding out it was them who took it. With sand being on-and-off allies of Cloud, there was no predicting what they would do if they got their hands on that scroll.

Aki reached into his pack and pulled out the scroll, placing it on his desk wordlessly. It looked much smaller than such an important scroll should have, but the knowledge it held should help his progress immensely.

The Yondaime looked up again, "And your team?" He forced out, dreading the answer.

The teen's eyes lowered, "Kazuo and Kakashi-senpai are in the ICU… Yaro's injuries weren't as extensive as Kazuo's, but…" He shifted uncomfortably and Minato noticed him tighten his grip on his ribs, "Yondaime-sama, if we're done here, I need to request permission to report to the hospital, as well."

Minato nodded immediately, "Of course," he agreed, "Take care of your health first, shinobi. Get me a full report when you've recovered."

"Thank you, Yondaime-sama," the salute Aki stumbled through looked awkward and one of the aides stepped forward to pull him from the room, the second closing the doors to give the Fourth his privacy.

Minato collapsed back into his chair, staring dully at the scroll on his desk, thoughts dwelling on his student's condition. Aki, unfortunately, hadn't commented on Kakashi's condition, other than informing him that the teen was in the hospital.

After almost a minute the man stood abruptly, scooping up the scroll to store in a safe place so he could check in on his student.

* * *

Minato hated seeing any of his students in the stiff clothing of the hospital garb. Kakashi, in particular, looked incredibly small and young without his uniform, reminding the man that he was really still such a young boy. He'd seen him like this many times before, but it didn't make it any easier.

Kakashi had already been shuffled out of the intensive care unit by the time he arrived. A passing medic had assured him that his wounds were mostly superficial, and the worst he was suffering from was chakra exhaustion. With plenty of rest he'd be fine in a week or so.

He'd taken a moment to check on the boy's other teammates—the medics were still working to save Kazuo, and Yaro's condition had stabilized. At least he'd have some good news if Kakashi woke.

Minato wasn't sure how long he'd sat there, hands folded with his arms leaning on his knees, shoulders slumped in depression, with the only sound breaking the silence being the rhythmic beeping of a machine trailing wires from the young teen. He was startled from his daze when the door slammed open, and looked up in surprise to see an anxious Harry bursting into the room, closely followed by a curious looking Tenzou.

Harry's eyes focused first on the pale form of his brother in the bed, wide and worried, before taking in the Yondaime. He hurried inside, "Is Kakashi-niisan okay?"

The man leaned back in his chair again, offering the worried boy a slight smile, "He'll be fine, Harii-kun. He needs to rest to recover from chakra drain, but otherwise his injuries were relatively minor. What are you two doing here, anyway?"

"We heard Harii's brother was here," Tenzou supplied, "Harii was worried, so we came." He shrugged and looked from the bedridden boy to his friend, "From the way you talk about him, I expected him to be bigger."

Harry ignored the comment, still focused on his brother, "He's really okay?"

Minato nodded, "He just needs rest, Harii-kun."

Harry nodded, stance relaxing in relief, "I… I was worried because…" He trailed off, shifting awkwardly.

Tenzou nodded at him and filled in, "The demands of a shinobi are extremely high—it isn't unusual for Chuunin and Jounin to die in their first year of service."

Harry shot his friend a glare, "Don't say it like that!"

Tenzou blinked in surprise, "What? That's what Isao-sensei said…"

Harry glowered at his friend, then turned away with an annoyed huff.

Minato smiled, "You shouldn't worry too much about Kakashi-kun, Harii," he advised, "He's a very talented shinobi, even given his age. He'll do his best to come back alive every time."

Harry didn't look incredibly consoled, and Minato couldn't really blame him. There wasn't much he could say though, it was true that a shinobi's life was very dangerous, and he didn't want to give the boy a false sense of security.

The six-year-old looked down at his brother again, and his next words were quiet, "It's just… I don't want him to die… I like living here."

"… Even if Kakashi were to die," the Yondaime began carefully, "You would still be welcome to live here, Harii. You're the legacy of a very noble clan of Konoha."

Harry didn't look convinced, "Last time… I didn't think…"

Minato remained quiet as the boy struggled to put his words into thoughts, listening intently. He was pleased that Tenzou seemed to have enough tact to stay quiet, as well.

"They sent me away… when… when my… the Dursleys…" Harry faltered for a moment, his chest tightening. He hadn't spoken to anyone about what had happened then, and even after all this time—almost a year—the pain and horror of that night was still fresh in his mind. It might as well have happened only just last week for all he was concerned. On the other hand, the life he'd lived on Privet Drive seemed so far away and long ago, like another lifetime altogether.

Tenzou was looking at the younger boy curiously now, suddenly aware of just how much he didn't know about his friend. In the last five minutes he'd learned more about his past than he'd learned in the last four months he'd known him. His own past wasn't terribly interesting, and he didn't think Harry would want to know about the dark cells he'd spent most of his life in.

Harry clenched his hands into fists and lowered his gaze to the ground, "I didn't want them to _die_," he whispered firmly, "That's not what I mean."

As Minato was wondering over his strange choice of wording, Tenzou tilted his head curiously, stepping closer to the younger boy.

"You lived with the Da-Dursleys before coming here?" Tenzou asked for clarification, stumbling slightly over the foreign name.

Harry nodded mutely, jaw tight and his lower lip between his teeth.

Tenzou frowned at him, "You didn't like living there?"

"… I didn't want them to die," Harry repeated.

"It's alright, Harii," Minato assured the boy, "We know you didn't want that."

"… If that's why you came here," Tenzou said suddenly, "I'm glad they did."

Harry turned on his friend, green eyes blazing with indignant anger, "You wouldn't say that if—if you'd been there!"

Tenzou frowned, taking half a step back, "Why are you angry? If you didn't like it there, what's the big deal? You like it here, and I like you here."

"Now, now," Minato interrupted hastily, recognizing the warning signs that Harry's temper was on the verge of breaking—they were remarkably similar to those of Kakashi's. "Tenzou-kun, even though we're all glad that Harii's able to be here, that doesn't mean that we can't also be sorry for the way he came to be here. You two are friends, so you should try to understand each other."

The boys were both silent at his words, eyes trained on the ground. Minato sighed in relief—crisis averted. Why hadn't it ever been that easy with Kakashi and Obito? He looked back towards the boy on the bed.

A few minutes later, Tenzou looked up abruptly, dark eyes intense as they caught Harry's gaze, "I've never cared about anyone before. Where I grew up… we only cared about ourselves—about surviving as long as we could. We were locked in cells, most of the time…"

Harry stared at him in surprise, taking a moment to digest what he was being told. He felt a thrill of joy—he'd never been trusted with the story of anyone's past before—and at the same time a jolt of sympathy, realizing that the other boy had been even worse off than him. He'd known that, of course, when he first saw him, but he hadn't really understood then what he'd been through.

As the silence dragged on after the older boy's statement, Harry became acutely aware that Tenzou was staring at him expectantly, obviously waiting for him to return the trust he'd been given. He shuffled awkwardly, looking at his feet, and then allowing his gaze to wander around the room. His eyes landed on Kakashi last, and stayed there for a few more minutes.

"I…" He started reluctantly at length, keeping his eyes on his brother as his hands formed fists at his sides again, "I didn't really… but I didn't want them to—they… they didn't _like_ me," he finally settled on, the words coming out a little more forcefully than he'd expected when he finally blurted them out.

"I… hated it… living there," he admitted, feeling rotten but somehow unable to keep himself from continuing as all the thoughts he'd refused to let himself think in the last year resurfaced and his hands clenched tighter.

"Aunt Petunia—she was always screaming at me about something," his words came out in a rush now, eyes still fixed firmly on the emotionless face of his brother. The Dursleys had never _really_ been his family—_this_ was his family; Kakashi and sensei, and maybe even Tenzou. "About how I didn't do the chores well enough or—or the color of my hair! Uncle Vernon liked to shout at me about that, too."

He didn't realize he'd started crying until he tasted salt on his lips, and even then it didn't really register, "He'd shout at me a lot, too—every time something… strange happened, it was always my fault, even when it wasn't! Sometimes he'd hit me, if he was really mad, but usually he just threw me in my cupboard and locked me in for a while."

"Dudley hit me, too, when he could catch me. But I was too fast for him, usually," Harry said, "The other kids weren't, though, and he'd hit them, too, if they tried to be nice to me. When he couldn't catch me he'd just tell his mum and dad I'd done something…" He choked on a sob as he heard their voices in his memory.

Uncle Vernon called him a freak all of the time, but he'd been the one his uncle had called to for help, in the end. He'd _trusted_ him to get them out and Harry had let them burn, listening to their screams of pain.

He'd _tried_ to help, yes, but he should have been able to do more, if he was really a wizard like Sarutobi said. Why had his magic only saved _him_? If it had come to his aide a little earlier it could have saved them _all_.

Harry let out another sob of guilt as he realized he was glad it hadn't saved them all. If it had, he'd still be in England with the Dursleys, being called a freak by his uncle and pushed around by his cousin and screamed at by his aunt. He felt awful for it—no one deserved to die like that, not the Dursleys or anyone else! But at the same time, he couldn't help but be relieved to be out of that house.

He didn't know how long he'd stood there, crying, but when he calmed down he was in Minato's arms, the man rubbing his back soothingly. Harry rubbed at his eyes, cheeks turning a little pink as he realized he was crying in front of his only real friend. He didn't dare look back at Tenzou.

"They… shouldn't have died," Harry croaked out quietly, voice rough from crying.

Minato was a long while answering, thinking over his words carefully, because this boy was a Hatake and he was being trained to defend his village, even if that duty drove him to killing others.

"Everyone must die in the end, Harii," he said quietly, "I'm afraid I don't know the entire story behind your relatives' deaths… but I don't believe you could have done anything different to keep them alive."

Harry remained silent—he wasn't so sure.

"You are a very kind hearted boy, Harii," Minato continued, "But you have to remember, not everyone is as kind hearted as you. Most, in fact, would take advantage of your kind heart, rather than emulate it. Humans are violent in their very nature, and it isn't possible for everyone to live together peacefully, as much as we may want it. That's the reason shinobi exist—to protect the ones we hold dear no matter what the cost."

Harry had heard this before—or something similar. Isao-sensei had told them as much, as he was leading up to the fact that sometimes shinobi were called to kill in duty to their village. He frowned dully, thinking back on those robed men that had entered his house and destroyed his family in such a cruel manner.

"Even to kill," he filled in softly, "I would have killed them if I could have." He wouldn't have sunk to their level, though—he would have killed them quickly, like his teacher talked about.

Minato was a little surprised at the vehemence in the boy's voice, and reflected that he and Kakashi weren't so dissimilar after all. He hadn't heard that tone in his student's voice often, but every time it made a shiver run down his spine. They'd seen too much in their young lives—even Harry who grew up away from the shinobi nations. He often wondered what they were doing to their youth…

"Well," Minato stood abruptly, hands guiding Harry by the shoulders so he wouldn't step on top of him, "Kakashi-kun won't be waking for another day or two. Since we're all together, why don't we get some ramen?" He smiled—ramen was a good fix for anything. "Tenzou-kun, have you tried Ichiraku's Ramen, yet?"

The boy shook his head.

"Sensei… I don't feel much like ramen," Harry muttered, reluctantly turning towards the door. He didn't understand how the man could think of food at a time like this. His eyes still ached from crying, and his throat was a little sore, as well. And he wasn't sure he wouldn't start up again with the smallest provocation.

"It'll make you feel better," the man promised, putting a hand on his shoulder to steer him to the door, "You'd be surprised what a bowl of ramen can do for the nerves! It can make all your troubles fade away!"

Harry highly doubted that. He'd had lots of ramen since coming here, and he still had a lot of troubles. But sensei was impossible to argue with when he had ramen on the mind.

* * *

Kushina watched Minato carefully as he settled tiredly on her couch. She'd been putting it off for five months and was debating whether or not now was a good time to break her silence. She didn't think the man had noticed her attempts to avoid being alone with him—he was busy enough that he probably didn't have time to think about things like that anymore.

"How's Kakashi?" She asked awkwardly, remembering that she'd heard his student had landed himself in the hospital again. For chakra exhaustion… again. She smiled just a bit because it was so like the hard working boy she'd known for years to try so hard.

"He's better," Minato replied with a tired smile, "He's awake long enough to eat, at least, but the medics want to keep him another day or two."

"That's good," Kushina remarked more naturally, "The minute they release him, he'll probably head straight for the training grounds."

Minato cringed and chuckled a little. That would really be just like him.

Silence fell, then, and Kushina was acutely aware of it. It pressed in on her, daring her to make a sound—to tell him! Instinctively, she put a hand on her stomach. Even this far along it was only a little swollen. Nothing a carefully chosen wardrobe or equipment vest couldn't hide.

She looked across at the blond, wondering why she was so afraid to tell him. It irked her to admit she was afraid of anything, but after her first several attempts of telling him had failed, she had been forced to be honest with herself. And the naked truth was that she _was_ afraid. He didn't want to have a family—or he _wanted_ one, but he didn't _want_ one because he was afraid his status would endanger any prospective family he might have.

She thought it was stupid, but he was completely serious on the matter so she'd chosen not to argue.

Her hand curled into a fist and a determined expression set on her face. So what if he didn't want a family? She'd talk him around if she had to. She was Uzumaki Kushina—dammit!—she wasn't afraid of anything! Looking up, her eyes blazing with determination and her fist resting over the tiny life inside of her, she blurted out his name.

Blue eyes rose, clouded slightly with confusion as he took in her expression, "Kushina?" He asked bemusedly, "What is it? Is something wrong?"

This was the moment she'd been building herself up for. This was the moment she'd been putting off for _five months._ She'd tell him about their child and she'd tell him about how wonderful it was and she'd beat him until he was begging for mercy and ready to embrace the little girl or boy inside of her if he dared to disagree.

She smirked darkly, a steely glint entering her eyes. Then she was dragged back to reality by his furrowed brow and concerned gaze.

"No.. Nothing's wrong," she supplied with a quiet smile. Seconds passed in silence and she stood, "I'm going to bed. Don't stay up all night, okay? You're going to start looking like the Sandaime if you keep that up."

He made an amused comment in return, but Kushina wasn't paying it any attention, already berating herself for backing out of it _again_ as she found her room. Maybe, she reasoned, it had something to do with those _changes_ women were said to go through during pregnancy. After all, if she was still herself, she never would act so cowardly.

* * *

"Are you sure it's okay?" Harry asked uncertainly as he followed Kakashi out to the forest on the first day he'd been released from the hospital.

Kakashi scowled under his mask, "Yes, Harii-san," he replied with annoyance, "I'm a Jounin; you're only an Academy student, so you might not realize this, but at Jounin, or even Chuunin, you're considered completely capable of handling your own training."

Harry frowned at him, trying to digest the unusually quick and sharp words. He was pretty sure he'd just been insulted. Letting it slide, Harry reiterated his earlier point, "But the medics said you shouldn't train by yourself for a few days…"

The teen shot him a glance out of the corner of his eye, "So, you're no one, then?"

"Huh?" Harry asked in confusion.

"You're coming with me," Kakashi stated, rolling his eyes, "So I won't be alone."

"Oh…" Harry frowned, "But I thought they meant so you had someone to train with… and I'm not really…"

"They want me to be with someone else," Kakashi corrected, "So that there's someone to drag my sorry ass back to the hospital if I'm stupid and end up overdoing it in training. You don't actually have to train _with_ me."

"Oh," Harry said again. "But… I don't think I can lift you, Kakashi-niisan."

"You don't have to worry about that because I'm not going to do anything stupid to get myself put back in the hospital," Kakashi replied.

"But…" Harry started.

"And if I do, for some strange, unbelievable reason, need to be carried back," Kakashi interrupted, "Then you can always run back into town and get someone to help you."

"Okay," Harry agreed reluctantly. He was silent for a few minutes, then asked, "Are you _sure_ it's _really_ okay? Maybe Tenzou should have come, too…"

Kakashi rolled his eyes and didn't answer, picking up his pace, instead. He thought maybe he liked it better when Harry couldn't talk.

* * *

Harry couldn't help but stare at his brother as Kakashi preformed a series of high-speed moves that finally managed to make him break a sweat in the summer heat. He had his own training to look after, of course, but it was just so amazing to watch someone do something like _that_. He hoped he'd be able to do all that one day.

A breeze ruffled the six-year-old's white hair, relieving a little of the oppression of the day, and Harry smiled a bit. Half a second later, Kakashi abruptly slid to a stop, looking back around the small clearing they'd found with a pair of mismatched eyes.

Harry stared dumbly at the revealed corner of his brother's face, catching a glimpse of red where he had been sure there wasn't an eye. He didn't have time to absorb the image, though, as his brother's gaze locked on something some distance to his left.

"Harii—get down!" The teen snapped, suddenly running towards him.

"What?" Harry asked in confusion—wondering why his brother was acting so strangely all of a sudden.

The older boy tackled him to the ground at the same time that a large ball of fire exploded in the middle of the clearing. The heat of it was hot against Harry's face, and the flames etched into the boy's wide eyes, a malicious face grinning cruelly at him and then racing towards him.

Harry screamed, eyes staring straight ahead even as the ball of fire withered and died out from lack of dry fuel, only pockets of flames remaining ablaze for a few seconds longer.

Kakashi pushed off of his brother to quickly scan the clearing, but with the younger boy still screaming he wasn't able to concentrate like he would have liked.

"Harii!" He snapped in irritation, arming himself in preparation of another attack.

With a rush of wind, a second explosive tag appeared on the tree right in front of them. The Jounin bit back a curse and grabbed his brother, leaping away and depositing the hysterical boy behind a tree. He paused a moment to give the six-year-old a quick shake.

"Harii," he said again, but Harry's eyes were squeezed shut now and his sobbing continued unbroken, his small frame shaking.

Growling, Kakashi threw himself back around the tree, red eye gleaming as he searched for the chakra signature of their attacker.

"Are you going to hide in the shadows, coward?" He demanded angrily, even as his rational mind told him to calm down and not goad his opponent. But he could still hear Harry's sobs and they were fuelling his irrational reaction further.

The man appeared barely five meters from him, crouched on the wide branch of a tree but clearly visible. His hair was long and unkempt and his face was scarred, eyes shadowed and haunted and burning with a hatred to rival Kakashi's anger. Despite these changes in his appearance, Kakashi recognized the man.

"Hanaki," he said coldly, muscles tense, "What are you doing?"

The man glowered down at him from his branch. Abruptly, he dropped, and Kakashi barely had time to duck out of the way when he appeared behind him a split-second later, kunai out with the obvious intent of causing harm. Kakashi kept space between them, moving cautiously back for every step the man took forward. He looked him over again, frowning slightly under his mask.

"What happened to you?" It might have been a tactless thing for him to ask, but he suspected there might be some connection between Hanaki's current appearance and the reason he'd been so suddenly attacked.

It was true that the two of them didn't share much camaraderie ever since they'd faced each other in the Jounin exams—and even before that they had seldom come in contact with each other—but the killing intent he felt from the man today was completely different from the last time they'd met like this. Despite everything, they were from the same village, and it would be best to talk the Chuunin out of whatever idea he'd gotten into his head.

The man let out a coarse laugh in contrast to the anger still burning in his eyes, "What happened?" He echoed, tone ringing of irony and disgust.

Kakashi cursed under his breath as he took another step back and felt a wire depress under his sandal. With a glance to either side, he threw himself backwards into a series of twisting jumps that allowed him to cleanly avoid the kunai flying at him from every direction.

"Not bad, runt," the man growled, smirking slightly.

Kakashi scowled at him, landing in a low defensive stance, "The Hokage isn't going to give you a third chance," he growled in warning, "What do you think you'll gain out of this? Is defeating a thirteen-year-old really that important to you?"

Hanaki's eyes flashed fiercely and he sent another kunai flying at the boy, "Don't talk like you know me, _brat_," he growled, "I don't care about defeating you, and I sure as hell don't care about the _Hokage_."

Kakashi dodged the single kunai easily, scowling at the man, "If you don't want to defeat me, then what's this about?"

"Defeating you just isn't enough anymore, brat," Hanaki retorted, a cruel grin on his lips, "This time, I'll kill you for sure."

Something in the man's eyes gave Kakashi the chills and he glanced behind him—just in time to see the sizzling note that was wrapped around the handle of the kunai he'd dodged turn to ashes.

The Jounin threw himself out of the range of the explosion with a burst of speed, but was still caught up in the shock wave. Buffeted out of control, Kakashi slammed into a tree, crumpling to the ground from the force of the impact, blood on his face and forehead protector dented badly.

When Hanaki came at him again, the teen managed to dodge his obvious attack despite his weakened state, thrusting a kunai of his own up at the man. The Chuunin smirked cruelly at him and Kakashi's eyes widened as he registered the unusual flow of his chakra at the same moment that his kunai became stuck in the earth of the man's chest.

He quickly released his weapon and rolled backwards, dodging a second blow and then jumping to the trees, taking a moment to regain his bearings. He wasn't given much time; a second and third Hanaki attacking him from the side and behind, forced him to retreat again.

Harry hesitantly opened eyes to the clashing of metal against metal nearby. He fully expected to find himself in his tiny cupboard, dark with smoke and flames lapping his door just outside the tiny safe haven. He expected to see the living room in flames, creatures made completely of fire devouring the bodies of his uncle, aunt, and cousin.

Instead he found himself looking at the untouched trees of a huge and ancient forest. The skin on his face and the back of his arms still felt a little warm, but otherwise he was unharmed and confused. Slowly his shaking subsided and he reached up to wipe his eyes with his hands, sniffing a bit as he looked around himself.

Sounds behind him drew his attention again—grunts and shouts and thuds—and Harry turned, raising his head to look at the burnt clearing on the other side of the tree he'd been leaning against.

He frowned as he recalled the explosion—it had been an explosion, not a fire like he'd thought. And then his eyes widened as Kakashi crashed to the forest floor some distance away, three men—three of the same man—following right on top of him.

The boy started to his feet immediately, gaping, "Kakashi-niisan!"

One of the men paused, turning to look back at him while the other two continued to spar with his brother as Kakashi fended off their attacks as well as he could.

"Idiot—stay back!" Kakashi snapped when Harry took a step into the clearing, eyes flashing towards him for a second. Harry froze as the teen hissed with pain, having been a little slow blocking a swipe of his opponent's kunai in his distraction.

"And the little Hatake whelp's here, too," the third man commented with vicious satisfaction, "How convenient."

With a particularly violent move, Kakashi kicked straight through the head of one of the clones—the man abruptly dissolved into a pile of earth and Kakashi swiped violently at the one next to it.

"Your fight's with _me_, Hanaki," he growled as the other turned its attention back to him with a scowl, "Leave the kid out of it."

"Of course," one of the men drawled, eyes flashing cruelly, "With you out of the way, it will be easy to take care of that brat."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed and he dodged around another kick, "Harii!" He snapped, "Go back into town!"

"You wouldn't leave your _dear brother_ to face me all alone," a third Hanaki was suddenly in the clearing, smirking back at the ashen-faced six-year-old, "Would you—Harii-kun?"

Kakashi growled in frustration when Harry didn't move and he found himself forced to fight off all three men at once. It was obvious what he needed to do—he needed to get rid of Hanaki, to get Harry off to safety.

Of course, already his chakra level was low, having started out low from his recent exhaustion and steadily drained by his use of the Sharingan, so high level techniques would be almost impossible for him.

His eyes narrowed at the three clones he was fighting—if he could find the original, he might have a chance. If Harry didn't do anything stupid.

Unfortunately, the Hatake had never been particularly lucky. He _did_ spot the real Hanaki, but only as the man appeared beside his brother, grabbing the stunned boy by the arm and yanking him roughly closer to him.

Harry was momentarily stunned by the rough treatment, his eyes going from Kakashi's fight to the man behind him—identical to the others fighting Kakashi. But it wasn't the man-handling that shocked him, he'd been man-handled plenty in the past. And it wasn't the fact that there was somehow four figures of the same person—they'd recently begun learning about chakra clones in class, and he could only guess that these were some version of the same thing.

Everything was happening fast, but Harry had begun to get used to that. _Everything_ in Konoha seemed to happen fast. He'd been here for almost a year, but everything seemed to have gone by in one big blur.

"L-let go!" The boy shouted, struggling until his eyes landed on the kunai the man held.

"Stand down, Hatake," the man growled, "Or I'll kill your little brother, too." He smirked coldly, pressing the blade under the six-year-old's chin, "After all, he's not innocent in this, either."

Across the clearing, Kakashi glared, but reluctantly drew back from his fight—not quite surrendering, but not pursuing a fight with the three clones anymore, either. The clones, likewise, paused in front of him, waiting for his reply.

"Harii didn't do anything to you," the teen growled, "What do you want, Hanaki?"

"What do you think I want?" Hanaki snapped back. When Kakashi didn't answer, he supplied the answer himself, "Revenge, Hatake! Can't you see what you did to me? Because of _you_—you and your bratty brother—I was sent on the most dangerous missions. Because of _you_ I was captured by the enemy in an ambush that proved too difficult for my team. Do you have any idea what you did to me, brat?"

Kakashi glowered, "As I recall," he forced out with irritation, "_You_ were the one who attacked _us_, Hanaki!"

Hanaki glowered back, "You reported to the Hokage that I intended to kill a civilian, even when you fully knew that that was not my intention at all."

"I didn't imply one way or another what your intentions were," Kakashi snapped back, "I reported the facts as I saw them, nothing else. I did my duty."

"Then I hope you won't mind if I do _my_ duty, and get rid of both of you," Hanaki growled.

The clones jumped forward again, but Kakashi was ready for them, putting up a defense and managing to dissolve another so he was left fighting two on one.

"Kakashi-niisan!" Harry called out loudly in concern. He struggled in Hanaki's grip again, elbowing him once as the man's hold on him tightened. The Chuunin barely felt the move, but was rather annoyed.

"Listen, brat, I'm a decent fellow, it's your brother who's really at fault in all this, so I'll let you live," he grumbled, "But I might have to rethink that if you put up too much of a fight."

Harry had managed to squirm one hand free, and he thrust it at the man.

He hadn't meant to fuel chakra into his fist—he hadn't even thought of doing it, actually—but it happened nonetheless, the chakra coming easily to him at some subconscious command from his mind and with the help of Minato's seals. So instead of the glancing blow that Hanaki probably would have hardly noticed, the man was hit hard enough to knock the wind out of him and send him sprawling back on the ground, taking Harry down with him.

In the tumble his grip loosened and Harry scrambled off of him and away, but the ninja was already getting to his feet again.

Sharingan eye blazing, Kakashi flew in front of the six-year-old at the last minute, the sole of his sandal connecting with the man's head with a crack. This time, Hanaki didn't get back up.

Kakashi turned to Harry, who had stumbled to the forest floor again when Hanaki came after him. For the first time, the six-year-old looked up into his brother's mismatched eyes, the tomoe lazily spinning to a stop in his left.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Harry blinked slowly and shuffled to a more upright position, "Yea—Kakashi!" He yelped when the boy suddenly tumbled backward.

Harry scrambled to the teen's side, eyes wide, "Kakashi-niisan!" He called anxiously, shaking the boy. He received a slight groan, but otherwise nothing.

The boy looked anxiously from Kakashi to Hanaki—he didn't know if the older man was dead or unconscious, or if he'd be waking up any time soon. He couldn't leave Kakashi alone with him, though, because if Hanaki _did_ wake up soon, Harry didn't doubt he'd finish carrying out his twisted revenge.


	21. Blame Game

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter. I have plans to change that once I get my own TARDIS, though.

I don't have much to say this chapter. It's a little shorter than usual, but I wanted to end it at... well, where I did. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I hope you like this chapter.

Ack, thanks to Rion and singeivoire for pointing out my embarrassing typo... I think it's all fixed now.

Chapter 21 – Blame Game 

The young man lifted the paper and allowed the excess liquid to roll off it in small beads, dripping into the pan placed underneath for just that purpose.

As the sheet of black liquid rolled off, fine lines of the inky substance clung to the parchment, first revealing the name _"Harry Hatake"_ and then spreading out with the branches of a family tree, working backwards.

"What…?" Minerva gasped in surprise as Harry's name was revealed on the parchment—it was not what they had expected.

Immediately above, two additional names appeared: _"Lily Evans"_ and _"Sakumo Hatake."_

Lines and relations continued to form back, first with both pairs of grandparents, then great-grandparents, until it came to the upper edge of the scroll and began filling in other relations that didn't appear in the direct genealogy.

"Albus, what's the meaning of this?" Minerva demanded, looking at the senior professor expectantly.

"I… don't know," the Headmaster started hesitantly, "I suspect…"

"Either Potter wasn't entirely truthful," Severus Snape sneered, "Or Lily wasn't as faithful to her husband as everyone believed."

"You mean Harry's not…" Minerva trailed off, shocked at this revelation.

Dumbledore frowned, "Severus, I would like you to brew a fresh potion."

The young potion's master scowled, "With all due respect, Headmaster, that potion is flawless. I brewed it myself."

"And I do not doubt your talents," Dumbledore assured him, "However, in this case I believe it would be prudent to run a second test."

"… Very well," Snape agreed reluctantly, "It will be three days for a new batch to be completed."

"Thank you, Severus," the Headmaster said as the man moved to leave.

"I don't understand how this could have happened," Minerva said, looking down as the completed genealogy with all of its aunts and uncles finally appeared—everyone related through blood, down to a single brother along the same line as Harry's name.

"… I may have some idea," the Headmaster admitted wearily, "I believe it is time I contact one of our old allies." He turned and hastened from the room, periwinkle-striped robes billowing behind him.

* * *

"Rin!" Harry burst into the hospital with the older girl's name on his tongue. He'd initially planned on going to the Hokage Tower, but it usually took him a while before he was allowed in to see the Yondaime, and that was only if he wasn't in a meeting. This was the only place he knew he'd be guaranteed to find help. 

He ran to the front desk, face red, hair damp from sweat, breaths coming in heaving gasps, "Where's Rin?" He demanded breathlessly.

"Er," the young woman behind the desk seemed completely bewildered by his sudden appearance. She started sorting through papers, "What's your name?"

"Harry!" Harry answered immediately, "Harry Po—I mean, Hatake Harry. I need to see her—it's important!"

"Hatake?" The woman echoed, "You must be Kakashi-san's little brother, then. I've heard about you."

Harry shot her an impatient glare, "It's _important_," he emphasized again.

"She'd in room 132 right now," the woman supplied, "But she's with a…" she trailed off as she noticed the boy was already racing off again.

Harry knew the layout of the hospital pretty much by heart, so it didn't take him long to reach room 132. He burst into the examining room with the same energy he'd burst into the hospital with. Almost immediately he saw his target.

"Rin!" He shouted breathlessly.

The girl and her patient—a brown haired boy with a scar across his nose—looked at him with surprise.

"Harii-kun?" Rin asked with confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"Kakashi-niisan is hurt!" Harry supplied anxiously, "He's out in the woods because he's too heavy for me to bring back, and we have to hurry because Hanaki is out there, too, and if he gets loose he'll try to kill him again!"

Rin had already started moving as soon as the first three words had left his mouth. She looked back at her patient apologetically and hastily promised to send another doctor in to look at him before rushing out of the hospital with Harry, pausing only to pass the word along at the front desk.

"Harii, where's Kakashi?" Rin asked anxiously as she followed the young boy through the crowded mid-day streets.

"I told you—in the woods!" Harry said anxiously, "We have to hurry!"

Rin was a little worried that if they did hurry Harry would pass out—he was already out of breath and had obviously run a long way.

"Harii-kun, why don't you get on my shoulders and you can direct me from there, all right?" She prompted.

The boy looked at her dubiously, but complied, if only because his legs were burning and he couldn't seem to fill his lungs to their capacity anymore. She paused to allow him to climb up, and he directed her straight ahead.

* * *

"It looks like he's fine," Rin sighed, sitting back from her examination, "He's just exhausted." 

"Oh," Harry said with relief, "What about… his eye?" He pointed—Kakashi's left eye was still uncovered and he couldn't help but remember that glance of it he'd gotten. It was kind of scary.

Rin self-consciously leaned forward to pull the teen's hitai-ate down, and proceeded to ignore the question.

"It was all… red," Harry pressed with a frown of confusion.

"… We should get him to the hospital," Rin announced, standing—she glanced across at Hanaki.

The man was still unconscious—she'd pushed him into a deeper, coma-like state when she arrived, but it probably hadn't been necessary judging by the large, purplish egg on his head. He wouldn't be a threat for some time, the wires Harry had tied around him were surprisingly well done, for an Academy student, so even when he woke they'd still have a little time. But leaving him helpless out here would be bad form.

"Harii-kun," she started as she struggled to lift the muscular teen, "You should go ahead to the Hokage's Tower…" She awkwardly positioned Kakashi's arm over her shoulders—noting with irritation that he'd had another growth spurt recently and was as tall as her already.

"The Hokage's Tower?" Harry echoed, walking with her as the girl finally managed to work Kakashi into a maneuverable position.

"Sensei needs to send someone to pick him up," she nodded her head at Hanaki—she could see where Harry had struck him, the boy had pointed it out, and the side of his shirt was singed slightly.

Harry frowned, "He's probably busy."

"Tell them I sent you," Rin shrugged, "And that it's important. And… it has to do with a matter of treason."

"Treason?" Harry repeated, "What's that?"

"When someone betrays their village," Rin supplied, "Go ahead now, Harii."

The boy looked at Kakashi one last time before reluctantly striking out again with a weary sigh.

* * *

"What do you mean _treason_?" The man demanded, glowering down at the six-year-old suspiciously. 

Harry wondered if he'd said it right—he was pretty sure he had. "When someone betrays their village," he supplied helpfully.

The man snorted, "I know what it means," he growled, "But what would _you_ know about _treason_?"

"It's because that guy tried to kill Kakashi-niisan!" Harry shouted in annoyance—he'd said it was important, why did everyone feel the need to question him more just because he was a kid?

Before the man could come up with a retort, one of the nearby doors opened and the Hokage stuck his head out, looking between the two with confusion and mild irritation. "Ojyun-san, what's going on?"

"Ah, Yondaime-sama," he shot Harry a dirty look, "I was just explaining to this brat that you're too busy to see him right now."

Minato sighed—if he was too busy to see anyone, then his subordinates should know enough to keep the noise level down, too. He frowned at Harry, "Harii-kun, I _am_ in the middle of something right now. Is this important?"

The six-year-old nodded his head frantically, "Rin said to say it's a matter of treason!" The boy blurted.

The Hokage stiffened a little, "Treason? Rin? Harii, what happened?" He opened the door a little wider, beckoning the boy inside.

His aides made disgruntled noises, but he ignored them, closing the door behind Harry as he stepped inside, starting his tale.

Harry was aware of the need for quick action, so he kept his explanation as brief as possible, "He attacked Kakashi-niisan and me so I ran back and got Rin and she is helping Kakashi-niisan, but someone needs to pick him up!"

"Him… Kakashi?" Minato asked in confusion, trying to work out the full story behind Harry's fast and poorly pronounced words.

"Hanaki!" Harry said with exasperation.

"Hanaki?" Minato repeated in alarm, "That's the Chuunin who attacked you and Kakashi before, isn't it?"

Harry nodded.

The Yondaime glowered, "He got off light last time because of the war, but there's no reason for a traitor like that not to be treated accordingly now." He looked over his shoulder and barked, "Go bring Hanaki-san in for questioning!"

Harry stared as a cloaked man appeared suddenly in the exact position Minato had been looking. With a slight nod of his head and a motion of his hand, the figure was gone again.

Minato turned back to Harry, "So, Rin has Kakashi?" He asked, just to make sure.

The six-year-old nodded again, "She's taking him to the hospital." He frowned up at the man seriously, "Sensei, there's something wrong with his eye."

Minato blinked, brow wrinkling in concern, "What do you mean, Harii-kun?"

The little boy pointed to his own eye, the one on the left side of his face, and supplied, "It's all red and weird."

The Yondaime could only stare at him for several long seconds, before a smile twitched at his lips—he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to laugh or to cry. "Harii," he sighed, "I think we need to have a little talk about that…"

"Yondaime-sama," one of his aides reminded him impatiently.

Minato rubbed his forehead—this job was giving him headaches. "Hai, hai," he groaned, "Later, okay, Harii? I'll tell you about it later."

The boy frowned dubiously, but nodded.

Minato shot him a stern look, "Don't ask Kakashi about it, okay?"

Harry looked at him strangely, "Why?"

"I'll tell you later," the man said again, "Just don't, okay?"

"Okay," Harry agreed reluctantly.

"Now, I need to get back to my work," the Yondaime told him, "So why don't you go down to the hospital and check on Kakashi for me."

* * *

The six-year-old stared at the body of his brother despondently as it lay still and pale in the hospital bed. He'd just been released yesterday, and already he was back. 

Harry's fingers curled into fists on his thighs. If he hadn't gotten in the way… if he was just able to protect even himself!

The door opening made the boy look up—Minato smiled tiredly at him as he slipped inside.

"How is he?" The man asked, stopping beside Harry's chair.

The six-year-old shrugged and answered quietly, "Rin said he really overdid it."

Minato nodded somberly, "He was still low on chakra from last time, so it makes it twice as bad now." He glanced at Harry, noticing the tightness in his expression and added, "But Kakashi's always been a strong shinobi—he'll be back on his feet in no time."

Harry lowered his eyes from the pale face of his brother and nodded once. Kakashi looked almost like a corpse already and it was hard to believe he'd be able to recover quickly.

The blond sighed and moved around Harry to the second chair, slumping into it and sneaking a quick look at his face. He reached out and ruffled the six-year-old's hair lightly, "You should go back to the apartment and get some sleep. It's almost midnight—that's way past your bedtime, Harii-kun."

Harry rubbed a hand across his tired red eyes, "Yeah, but…"

"Plus, you have class tomorrow," Minato added, "You'll need to be well rested."

The six-year-old looked up with a determined frown, "I want to be sure he'll be alright, first! It's my fault that he's hurt—if I'd stayed out of his way... he could have finished the fight sooner if I had stayed hidden."

"You just wanted to help," Minato dismissed, "It's only natural."

"But I can't!" Harry said miserably, "I'm not even a shinobi or anything—I can't do anything. Even my…" He trailed off indecisively, then continued in a stronger voice, raising his eyes to meet the Hokage's, "Even my _magic_ wouldn't help! If I'm really a wizard, like Sarutobi-jiisan said, then I should be able to use it to help, right?"

"Eh? I don't know about that," Minato scratched his head thoughtfully, "Sandaime-sama said that you sometimes use magic by accident… It's not something you should rely on for help, though, because it isn't something you can control."

Harry scowled, "What good is it then? If I can't even use it to protect people I… care about?"

"I don't really know anything about wizards," Minato supplied awkwardly, "But maybe one day you'll find a use for your magic. Until then, keep training to be a shinobi, and you can use what you learn from that to protect people when you need to."

Harry continued to frown a moment before brightening suddenly and uncurling his fists to look at the seals on his palms, "They really work!" He told the man excitedly, "When that guy had me… I managed to hit him once, and I think I felt chakra go through my arm. He really got knocked back then!"

Minato chuckled, "That's good, Harii," he agreed, "It takes a lot of chakra control to manage something like that, so you'll have to keep practicing hard if you want to be able to keep using it as the seal fades."

The six-year-old made a face, "Why does it have to fade?" He asked grumpily, "Can't you just leave it on? It would be better."

"No," was the Yondaime's quick answer, "You can't learn to depend on something like a seal, Harii. You see, something like this"—one finger traced the pattern on Harry's left palm—"Is good for learning control, but it would be suicidal to depend on a seal in the field. All the enemy has to do is make one minor alteration and you'd be unable to access your chakra because you never learned to control it by yourself. Nothing can replace what you learn through hard work. There are no shortcuts to becoming a shinobi."

Harry sighed and nodded reluctantly, "It would still be better," he muttered, clenching his hands again, "But I guess I have to learn."

Minato chuckled, "That's right, Harii-kun. Now, go home and get some sleep, okay? If you wake up early enough you can come check on Kakashi on your way to the Academy, okay?"

"Okay," Harry sighed, slowly dragging himself to his feet and out of the room.

* * *

Harry stared at the red-haired woman with wonder and disbelief, "There's... what?" 

Kushina smiled and took his hand, placing it on her slightly rounded stomach, "A baby, Harii-kun," she supplied with a smile.

"A... baby..." Harry repeated with amazement, staring at his hand. He jumped slightly in surprise and looked up at the woman with wide eyes, "It moved!"

The woman laughed, "Did the baby kick you, Harii?"

Harry nodded dumbly, still hardly able to believe there was actually a little person inside the woman's stomach, "How does it get out...?"

Kushina blushed a little, "Well... you know, the doctors help take it out."

"Oh... there's really a baby in there?" Harry asked with disbelief.

"Of course," Kushina ruffled the boy's untidy white hair, "Where did you think babies came from? Everyone starts out the same way, you know."

"Me?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yep," the woman confirmed, "A long time ago, you were in your mother's stomach, just like this baby's in mine."

"Oh," Harry said again, "So... you're a mom now?"

Kushina smiled, "I guess so. But it really starts to count when the baby's born."

"What's its name?" Harry asked curiously.

"I haven't decided yet," Kushina admitted.

"Oh... is it a boy or a girl baby?" Harry asked.

"Um... I don't know that, either," Kushina said.

Harry frowned slightly, "When will it come out?"

Kushina smiled, "That's one thing I do know," she said, "It's due in mid-October."

"That long?" Harry asked with disappointment.

The woman laughed, "Harii, it's only a few more months."

"Yeah," Harry agreed reluctantly. After a moment he perked up again, "Will you bring it over with you after it's born?"

Kushina grinned, "Who knows?" She asked, "By then, maybe we'll all be living together like one big family."

Harry's eyes widened and a large smile spread across his lips, "You mean like... I could be the big brother?"

"Sure," Kushina agreed cheerfully, "This little baby will need someone to help look after it when me and its dad are busy. Would you like to do that?"

The boy nodded quickly, but another thought had just entered his head, "Who's gonna be its dad?" He asked eagerly.

Kushina blushed a little, "Well... that would be... Minato."

Harry's eyes widened, "So you _are_ married!" He exclaimed triumphantly.

Kushina's face flushed further, "Er... no, Harii-kun, not yet."

The boy frowned in bemusement, "But... how can you be the baby's mom... and sensei be the baby's dad... when you're not even married?"

"Er... People don't have to be married to... make a baby together, Harii-kun," Kushina replied with embarrassment.

The little boy tilted his head, "They don't?"

Kushina snorted, "Your parents weren't married."

"Yes they—" Harry broke off, a strange expression on his face as he thought about that. Of course, he'd always thought of James and Lily Potter being his parents before he came here—it was a hard habit to break. He'd heard his aunt go on about them once or twice—about how her sister had gotten herself married to _that freak_.

Frowning thoughtfully, Harry looked up at the woman curiously, "Did you know them?"

"Eh?" Kushina asked, then shook her head, smiling apologetically, "Sorry, Harii-kun, I didn't really know Sakumo-san. All I knew was the stories that went around about Konoha's White Fang."

"White... Fang?" Harry repeated—was she talking about his dad?

The woman smiled slightly, "When I was going through the Academy," she said, "He was considered to be one of the strongest shinobi in the village—he was even stronger than the Sannin back then; but, of course, they were quick to catch up." She smirked, "It was said that he was the favored by the Nidaime and Sandaime both, even though he wasn't a student of theirs." Her smile faded a little, "There were even rumors going around that he would be the next Hokage... until _that_ happened..."

Harry was staring at her with wide eyes, learning more about his father than he ever had before, "What?" He breathed eagerly.

Kushina hesitated. She rubbed the back of her head, "I don't think I'm the best one to tell you that story, Harii-kun," she offered apologetically.

Harry scowled, "But I want to know!" He insisted, "Why won't anyone tell me? What happened? He died, right? How?"

"Harii…" Kushina started reluctantly, and was relieved when a noise at the door distracted them both. The door opened a second later, with Minato leading the way in, followed by a disgruntled looking Kakashi—who'd just been released from the hospital _again_.

"Harii!" Kushina hissed before the boy could run off to greet them, "Don't tell Minato, okay?"

The boy looked at her with confusion, "What?"

Kushina patted her stomach secretively and whispered, "The baby."

"Oh," Harry nodded agreeably, "Okay."

"Ah, there's the birthday boy!" Minato greeted cheerfully.

Harry looked up at him in surprise, "Me?"

The man laughed, "Of course, you," he replied, "You know anyone else in this room who has his birthday today?"

The boy shook his head, flabbergasted into silence.

Minato chuckled at his expression, "Well, let's have dinner to start," he announced, "Kakashi and I picked some things up at Ichiraku's, so we want to eat it while it's warm!"

Kakashi was carrying two bags himself, while Minato only held one. He looked at his teacher dryly, "I don't think we got enough, sensei. You could probably eat all this yourself."

"I'm cutting back," Minato replied cheerfully, "Anyway, let's have a good time tonight, because Tenzou-kun and Rin-chan should be here in a little bit, too."

"For... for a party?" Harry asked with wonder.

"Of course, for your birthday party," the man confirmed as he and Kakashi began setting the bowls out on the table. "Kakashi," he added, "Don't you have something to say to Harii-kun?"

The teen shot him an annoyed look, but turned to his brother, who looked up at him expectantly. Kakashi sighed silently before muttering, "Congratulations, Harii-san."

The seven-year-old beamed at him.

* * *

The whole evening was thrilling to the newly christened seven-year-old, who had never had a birthday party of his own in his life. He'd only ever been to one of Dudley's parties—the others he'd mostly spent in his cupboard, or visiting old Mrs. Figg—and it hadn't been particularly fun because his legs had hurt the whole day after Aunt Marge had kicked them so Harry wouldn't beat Dudley in a game of musical statues. 

He couldn't decide what part he liked best. The presents he'd gotten—which most notably included a small potted tree Tenzou claimed to have made and a small collection of weathered paperbacks Kakashi had muttered about not needing anymore (one of them even had the older boy's name in the cover, and Harry had been pleased to see the writing wasn't much better than his). The food—it was only the second time in his life he'd had cake, as he'd been sent to his cupboard before Dudley's party had ended due to an argument he'd gotten into with Aunt Marge. Or simply the fact that so many people had gotten together just to celebrate _him_.

By the time the guests had gone home Harry was no longer able to control his cheek muscles, it seemed, as the silly grin on his face refused to disappear.

"So, how was it?" Minato asked, smiling at the boy's grin, "Not bad for a last minute party?"

"It was great," Harry supplied sincerely.

Kakashi had gone out shortly after the others left, leaving the two alone. Minato sobered and moved to sit on the couch, steering Harry to join him.

"Now," the man started wearily, "I think there's something we have to talk about."

The seven-year-old was alert immediately and agreed, "Kakashi-niisan's eye..."

Minato nodded, "Harii-kun, that eye... it contains a special technique known as the Sharingan."

"The... sharingan?" Harry asked bemusedly.

"A Kekkei Genkai," Minato supplied, "Of the Uchiha family."

Harry's forehead furrowed in confusion, "But... Kakashi-niisan isn't an Uchiha... is he?"

The blond shook his head soberly.

Harry frowned in thought, "But a Kekkei Genkai... you have to be in the same family, don't you...?"

"On rare occasions..." Minato started reluctantly, "Bloodlines have been known to be stolen... or given away..."

"Given..." Harry's face twisted in thought for a minute, then his eyes suddenly widened and he looked up at Minato with large, round eyes. He remembered, of course, that Kakashi had first started to cover his eye when he came back from _that_ mission. "O-Obito..."

Minato nodded again, "So you can understand why Kakashi doesn't want to talk about it," he supplied seriously.

Harry nodded, looking down, "It's... it's really... Obito's... eye...?" He couldn't imagine having someone else's _eye_ in his _head_. "H-how...?"

"Eh?" Minato scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "Well, I don't know all the details," he admitted, "But it's something like a complicated surgery, I think. Hmm..." He looked around thoughtfully, "I think we have a book around here somewhere."

Harry watched curiously as the man scurried around the apartment, searching for a specific book. He gave out a laugh of triumph as he dug a thick tome out from under his mattress and returned to the boy's side, flipping it open to a large ink sketch of the complete organ.

"Here, see?" Minato asked, "That's what an eye looks like inside your head," he pointed along to the back of it, "A successful transplant cuts the nerves here, and reconnects them in the new socket." He laughed ruefully, "_I_ couldn't do it. Rin sure is something."

Harry was making a face, "Is there lots of blood?"

"Um... I don't think there's lots of it," Minato said awkwardly, "Not if it's done right, at least."

"That's good," Harry said, "I don't like blood much. It hurts."

Minato chuckled, "Yeah, I don't like it much, either."

Harry continued to stare down at the book in front of them before curiously flipping through it. Minato sat back silently, letting the boy page through the big book—he thought that went rather well—until the seven-year-old stopped suddenly, frowning down at another illustration.

"Is that a baby?" The boy asked, turning his head to look at the blond and stabbing a finger down at the illustration.

The man leaned over to look over his shoulder, and bobbed his head in confirmation, "Yep. Babies start out looking kind of funny like that, when they're still in the womb."

"Womb?" Harry repeated in confusion, "I thought they started in the mom's stomach."

"Ah... not exactly," Minato fumbled, "I mean, it kind of looks like that because the womb's kind of... in there... around the stomach... area."

Harry frowned at him bemusedly, then returned his attention to the book, "I think it starts in the stomach," he said with confidence, "That's where Kushina-san's baby is."

"No, it's—" Minato broke off, a surprised expression crossing his face, "Wait, what? Kushina's baby?"

Harry's eyes widened, "Oops..."

"Oops?" Minato repeated, growing more frantic by the second, "What do you mean, oops? Harii-kun, did Kushina say she was going to have a baby?"

"Er... I'm not supposed to tell you," Harry muttered.

Minato stood restlessly, pacing the room furiously as he found himself unable to sit still, anxiety racing into his veins. Suddenly, different things that had happened were making sense. How long had she been pregnant? Certainly at least back into February—it explained her strange _illness _perfectly.

"How long was she planning on hiding this from me?" He grumbled. He started towards the door, then aborted the action, turning abruptly back around to pace to the window and back.

Harry regarded the man with wary uncertainty, "Sensei...?"

Minato ran a hand through his untidy, long spikes. With some effort, he managed to sit down again, "Sorry, Harii," he muttered.

Thirty seconds later, he was up and pacing again. Making up his mind, he headed to the door again, grabbing his jacket, "Harii, I need to go out for a bit... Kakashi should be back soon, alright?"

The boy nodded reluctantly, watching as the man disappeared through the door without a second glance back. Even the seven-year-old could figure out where he was going.

"I hope Kushina-san isn't very mad," he muttered before looking down at the picture again—which claimed to be actual size and was smaller than his hand.


	22. Shadows and Secrets

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: As a precaution against my eventual insanity, I've decided to leave my future self a messege, just so things don't get too out of hand. I think I'll write: _"I own Naruto and Harry Potter."_ After all, if I'm already insane it won't hurt me to be a little delusional, as well.

As always, thanks to you reviewers--I enjoy hearing your thoughts on the story! I had kind of a boring week this week, so I decided to update a little early. Now, as to points from this chapter... I thought about adding a confrontation between Kushina and Minato a little earlier, but in the end I liked it this way better. Hopefully you'll find it satisfactory.

For those of you who have been wondering when Harry would "get over" his "fear of fire"... this chapter's for you.

Chapter 22 – Shadows and Secrets 

The Sandaime Hokage stared at the note, feeling numb from surprise. Blandly, he raised his eyes to the flame colored bird perched across from him. The odd bird shifted as though in response, fluffing its feathers a little and digging its talons into the back of the chair. The three shinobi standing around it tensed at the motion.

Sarutobi looked back at the letter.

"Hokage-sama?" A young man with chin length brown hair asked hesitantly.

"… One of you please get Koichi-san from the hospital," he said at last.

The three shinobi exchanged looks before one of them hurried to do as ordered.

The Hokage looked back at the paper and removed a watch from the folds of his robes, checking the time. He looked up again.

"I would like all of you to leave me," he stated sternly, looking at the bird rather than his shinobi.

The two nin hesitated, "But… Hokage-sama…"

"The things about to take place in this room are of the highest level of secrecy," the Hokage said sternly, "Leave, now, and allow no one to enter until my permission is expressly given."

The two shinobi hesitated a moment longer before reluctantly taking their leave. The Hokage remained where he was until he felt the presence of his ANBU guard disappear, as well.

Slowly, he stood, crossing to the windows. For several seconds he stood there, looking out across his beloved village and letting the sights wash over him. Then he pulled out a paper and pressed it to the glass, activating the seal with his chakra before drawing the blinds.

He walked across to the door and pressed another seal to the heavy, wooden surface; then slowly made his way back to his desk, settling down to wait as he stared at the Phoenix across from him.

The bird shifted a bit, plucking at its feathers before settling back again, eyes staring straight back at him with more intelligence than a bird had any right to have.

Three minutes and twenty-four seconds passed in this way. Precisely ten minutes after the letter had arrived, a loud crack spilt the air of the Third Hokage's office.

* * *

_The dragon lord cackled as he circled the boy, crumpled on the floor. His fangs gleamed as he snarled, "I was expecting more from the heir of the Kusagei clan, but it seems that you will be joining your ancestors sooner than expected."_

_Yusuke struggled to move, his entire body protesting with waves of pain. He cracked an eye open to glare defiantly back at the demon, "You can't kill me. You're nothing but a pawn, anyway."_

_The demon's face contorted in anger and disbelief, his aura raging around him, "What did you say, boy?"_

"_You heard me," Yusuke shot back, managing to raise his head, "I don't believe you're really a dragon at all. You're just one of the pawns he left behind."_

_The man drew back a fist, calling forth his chakra into a powerful weapon, "Insolent brat!" He snarled, "I'll show you the true powers of a dragon lord by sending you to the nether world!"_

"_Yeah, yeah," Yusuke struggled to lift himself up on shaky arms, "Anyone can do flashy light tricks. You might kill me, but I'll never believe you're really a dragon."_

_The man's dark face twisted in anger, "It makes little difference to me!" He snapped, dissipating the energy from his palm, "If that is your wish, then I will become a dragon before you now, and I will rip you apart with my fangs!"_

_Yusuke smiled weakly, fingers clutching at the shard of crystal broken from the witch's sword. The sharp edges cut into his fingers, but this inconsequential pain was easily ignored. His eyes rose slightly to take in the sight as the dragon lord began to change, marvelous blue scales rippling across his body and—_

"Harii!" A voice sharply interrupted his concentration and Harry blinked, looking up into the face of his friend.

"Huh? Tenzou?" The boy asked, looking around.

Tenzou shot him an exasperated look, "Weren't you listening at all?" He demanded, positioning the pack on his shoulders awkwardly, "Everyone else is already leaving! If we don't hurry, we're going to be left behind."

Harry looked up again to see, as Tenzou had said, that the classroom was indeed empty of anyone other than the two of them. His eyes widened and he quickly scrambled to his feet, toppling the chair he'd been sitting on in his haste. Tenzou laughed at his expense as he grabbed his pack and hurried after the older boy out the door, the pair of them running after their classmates.

* * *

"Oh, it'll be fine, really," Minato said for what must have been the twentieth time in just over a week. Even now it was hard for him to believe, and the idea of a tiny life depending on him—and Kushina, of course—was almost overwhelming. 

Kushina shot him a dirty look for what must have been the fortieth time in just over a week, "You're supposed to use words like 'wonderful' and 'miracle' when talking about things like this," she growled, "Not just 'fine'." She snorted, "I'll bet that's what _your_ parents said when they saw you—'oh, he'll be _fine_, I guess'."

The blond smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head before letting his hand drop again with a sigh. "It _is_ wonderful," he assured the irate woman, "It's just... _me_ a _father_?"

"I know," Kushina agreed dryly, "It's hard to believe."

Minato ignored the subtle jibe he knew was intentional, "No, no, it _is_ wonderful," he insisted again, because anything less would drive his beloved to violence, "I'll _make_ it wonderful, okay? I promise. It'll be wonderful."

Kushina looked at him dubiously, "I thought you were too important of a figure to have family," she said dryly, "Isn't that what you always said? What if our kid looks like you? There'll be no hiding it, then."

Minato sighed again. "Then we won't hide it," he decided impulsively, "If the Sandaime can have a family, I don't see why I can't."

The woman looked at him hesitantly, "... Really?"

"Yeah," Minato confirmed, "It'll be fun."

"So... you're not worried about assassins trying to get to you by killing us?" Kushina prompted.

The man cringed, then abruptly turned the tables on her, "Let's put it this way—if _I_ were going to have a kid, I'd definitely tell you right away instead of waiting until I was two months due before it accidentally slipped."

Kushina scowled, "I _tried_ to tell you," she grumbled.

Minato scowled back, "Oh yeah? When? You're very loud, Kushina, I think if you'd tried to tell me, I would've heard." He quickly dodged the fist that was swung at him.

The woman snorted, "Quit trying to blame this on me. If you weren't a pompous, self-important jerk then I wouldn't have been worried about telling you in the first place."

The blond drew himself back in indignation, "I'm not a jerk!"

"Could've fooled me when you stormed into my apartment in the middle of the night and started ranting about physiology books," Kushina snorted.

Minato flushed, "Maybe I could've handled that a bit better," he mumbled self-consciously, "But I'd like to see how you'd respond to suddenly finding out you're about to become a father like that."

Kushina raised an eyebrow, "If I was the father, would that make _you_ the mother?"

Minato rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean."

"Right," Kushina agreed reasonably, "Well, I'm sure I'd talk it over with my partner in a perfectly calm manner."

"From the one who started throwing things," Minato grumbled.

"Only to get you to shut up," Kushina grumbled back, "Besides, I knew you would catch them."

The pair fell into silence and Minato raked a hand through his hair again wearily. It had not been a particularly good week for him.

"I'm sorry, okay?" He said at last, breaking the silence after what felt like forever.

"For what?" Kushina snipped back, "Getting me pregnant?"

Minato rolled his eyes, "For saying I didn't want a family," he retorted, determined to keep today on a reasonable and mature level. Unlike the last nine days.

"Oh..."

There was another few minutes of drawn out silence, this time broken by Kushina. With unusual tentativeness, the woman began, "So... do you?"

"Hmm?" Minato asked.

The woman's eyes narrowed slightly and she expanded, "Want a family?"

"Hmm... maybe," Minato considered, "But on two conditions."

Kushina raised an eyebrow.

Minato looked her in the eye and supplied, with complete sincerity, "One... only if you are in it."

The woman blushed a little—barely noticeable around her neck and ears, but creeping inwards over her cheeks as Minato held her gaze.

"And..." Minato started slowly in the same manner, "Only if you change all the dirty diapers."

Things promptly became thrown.

* * *

"We should tear out the pages of your book and put them in it," Tenzou suggested as the two boys crouched next to their fire. Or, rather, it was the place their fire would be if they had succeeded on making one yet—it was really nothing more than a small pile of sticks in the middle of a _wide_ circle of rocks, Harry wasn't taking any chances. 

Harry shot his partner a glare, "I don't see _you_ helping."

"You're the fire guy and I'm the idea guy," Tenzou shrugged, "I just gave you an idea, now it's your turn to make fire."

Harry went back to striking his rocks together, ignoring the older boy's comment. "Why do we need a fire anyway?" He asked grumpily, eyeing one of the nearby fires with unease—when his eyes started to pick out shapes that could be fangs in the flickering light he tore them away again, quickly looking down at their own pile of sticks.

Tenzou frowned at him, "Are you okay, Harii?"

"Yes," Harry responded quickly, giving his rocks a particularly forceful strike as if to prove his point. A handful of sparks flew and a tiny flame leapt into existence among the smaller sticks. Harry jumped to his feet with a startled cry, letting the stones drop beside him.

Tenzou crowded around him, "Ah—careful! Keep feeding it fuel or it'll go out!" He insisted, poking at the tiny, smoldering flame with a stick.

"Don't move it around so much!" Harry snapped back, hastily grabbing some small, dry sticks they'd gathered earlier and shoving them at the tiny flame. He felt vaguely sick to his stomach, and his hands were shaking slightly. Harry ignored it—it was ridiculous, it was only a small flame.

"Not all at once!" Tenzou cried—but the fire was already out, much to his dismay. Harry hoped his relief didn't show on his face—they were supposed to be making fires, both he and Tenzou would get bad grades if they didn't.

In a desperate attempt to save the fire, that he wasn't particularly hoping would work, Harry pulled the small sticks back out, but it was no use. The flame had been efficiently smothered.

He glowered at it the slightly charred sticks that remained.

Tenzou shuffled a bit closer to Harry and lowered his voice, "Hey, can't you... _you know_..."

Harry shot him an annoyed look, "It doesn't work like that," he said, "It just happens by accident sometimes. Besides, I've never set anything on fire before." He didn't want to, either, because the fire might come alive and try to eat all of them. The teachers would be really mad if he did that.

There was a cry of triumph from another pair of boys as one of their classmates managed to get a fire roaring in their pit. The two boys shot the large flames envious looks—Harry didn't allow his gaze to linger long, quickly looking back.

The white-haired boy made a face, looking down at the blackened sticks, "It's really starting to stink out here," he grumbled, trying not to remember how suffocating the smell of smoke had become in his tiny cupboard.

"This is stupid," Tenzou complained, glowering at the cold fire pit, "What do we need a fire for? I'll just make a tree house if we want to keep warm."

Harry raised an eyebrow at him, "Yeah, but a tree house is kind of obvious, don't you think? Especially if it's for more than one person."

Tenzou just shrugged, "It's always worked for me."

Harry silently agreed—a tree house would be _much_ better than a fire.

"How are you boys doing?" Tenzou and Harry looked up to see Shikaro-sensei standing over them.

Harry sighed and started striking his rocks together again listlessly, "Not very well," he grumbled.

"We _almost_ had one," Tenzou added, and shot a glare at his partner, "But then Harii had to smother it."

"Better than _it_ smothering _you_," Harry muttered under his breath.

The man regarded them with amusement—most of the students seemed to be finding that making a fire in real life was a lot harder than reading about techniques in books.

"Harii-kun, try striking that closer to the edges," he corrected, "And build your foundation in the pit, first, then you can just light a fire underneath it. Make sure there's plenty of air for your flame at all times."

"Hai, sensei," Harry said unenthusiastically, adjusting his grip on the rocks again as Tenzou began dismantling and rebuilding the useless pile of sticks they had in their fire pit.

Their teacher chuckled before moving on to continue through his rounds.

Tenzou promptly went back to staring enviously at their classmate's fire. "This would be so much easier if we could just use some of theirs," he muttered.

Harry's hands stilled and the two boys exchanged glances, slow smiles spreading over their lips.

Three sneaky minutes later Tenzou and Harry joined the minority of students who had managed to get a large fire roaring in their fire pit.

* * *

Kakashi shoved his forehead protector back down over his eye, breathing heavily as his team picked themselves carefully up from the ground. Yaro, the first to collect himself as the younger two teens were still groaning, crossed over to the stopwatch that hung from a tree. Reaching out he stopped the timer. 

"Three minutes and twenty-seven seconds," he read out loud, turning towards the Jounin, "That's shorter than your last match by nine seconds."

Kakashi scowled under his mask—as much as he tried to train up his stamina, it didn't seem to be helping as much as he'd hoped. The Sharingan drained his reserves far too quickly. If he pressed himself, he could get up to five minutes or longer, but afterwards he was useless if something happened—and even unconscious if he really pushed himself.

"Time for a break," Aki groaned, flopping back to the ground, "I can't even go three minutes against you, Kakashi-senpai."

Ever since they went up against Dosu, the three Chuunin seemed to have formed a greater respect for him. Even Yaro tended to follow his lead now, rather than expecting things to happen the other way around. And Aki and Kazuo didn't laugh at him—as much.

Their new training sessions, of course, benefited all of them. Yaro, in particular, wanted as much sparring experience as he could get—he was hoping to have a try at Jounin this year—and Kakashi had found that using multiple opponents was the best way to put the Sharingan to its greatest use.

"You can't expect it to change over night, though," Yaro commented, joining his teammates again, "Training your stamina will take a long time, Kakashi."

So Yaro couldn't help but press his seniority of age sometimes, and Kakashi couldn't help but be annoyed as every time the older teen told him things he already knew. He pushed down the irritation and ignored the comment.

"You're getting better," he told the older man, "At least, you're performing a lot better than _those_ two."

"Hey!" Kazuo yelped in distress, "You can't talk like that about someone who's still recovering from extensive injuries!"

Aki rolled his eyes, "You've been using that excuse for more than a week already, Kazuo. Kakashi-senpai's been in the hospital, too, remember? Just as long as you." He laughed, "Kakashi-senpai's been in the hospital _twice_."

"I'm just saying—my injuries were more extensive than all of yours," Kazuo retorted, "So it's only natural if mine take a little longer to heal."

"The medics said you were healed already," Kakashi retorted dryly, "Your injuries should no longer be affecting your performance."

"Hey, I almost died," Kazuo defended, "I saw a white light and everything—"

"That was just Kakashi-senpai's hair," Aki sighed.

Kazuo ignored him, "—so it'll take a while before I'm at full power again!"

Yaro rolled his eyes and stepped in before the two could get too carried away, "It doesn't really matter who was most injured. If you're not at full power yet, Kazuo, you should keep training yourself to reach it as quickly as possible. You're a liability to our team until you do." He paused and guiltily added, "Right, Kakashi?"

"Let's go another round," Kakashi announced, "This time without the Sharingan."

The two younger teens groaned in dismay before reluctantly stumbling back to their feet.

* * *

After thirty-four hours with a class of eighteen five, six, and seven year olds (and one ten-year-old), no one could really blame the first year instructors for being a little crabby and more than anxious for getting rid of their whole class when they finally returned to the Academy. The children were mostly astute enough to pick up on their teachers' moods, and were quick to get out of underfoot before one of them was offed. 

"That was fun," Harry decided, "I've never been camping before." He wasn't in a particular hurry to repeat the experience, though—he hadn't been able to get to sleep with the smell of smoke clinging to his sleeping bag. It would have been better if the teachers had let Tenzou grow a tree house.

Tenzou snickered, "That wasn't camping, Harii—it was training."

Harry shrugged the correction off, "It was _like_ camping," he said confidently, "And it was still fun."

"Except when Horio-sensei yelled at us for fighting and made us go to bed early," Tenzou grumped. The night before, those in the class who had finished their fires had started an impromptu stick-sword-fight, blackening the ends of their sticks in their fires first so that it would be easy to see when someone was hit. Tenzou had thought it was a great way to distract his distressed friend, and he thought it worked pretty well.

The instructors had ignored them for a while, until they'd shifted their intentions from teams fighting against each other to pitting everyone who had made a fire against everyone who hadn't. The sticks had promptly been confiscated and they'd been sent to their sleeping bags with promises of pain if they dared try to get up before the morning.

"Hmm... it was your first time camping, too, right, Tenzou?" Harry asked.

Tenzou decided not to correct the younger boy this time and shrugged, "Yeah, I guess."

"Next time, I'll ask to borrow Kakashi-niisan's fire starter," Harry decided.

"We'll be the first ones done, then," Tenzou agreed.

With a few more important exchanges, the two parted company towards their respective homes, eager for a few creature comforts after roughing it for two long days.

* * *

"You are?" Harry asked excitedly while Kakashi looked bored at the news. 

"In about a month," Minato confirmed with a grin, "That way, when the baby's born, we'll all be a family."

Kushina rolled her eyes, "When you say it that way it sounds so cheesy."

"It is cheesy," Minato shot back, "But we're still going to do it."

"... I guess Harii and I will need to get our own apartment, then," Kakashi muttered, sounding as though he was not looking forward to it.

Minato frowned, "It's fine, Kakashi-kun," he assured the boy, "You two can keep living with us. Just Kushina and the baby will be moving in, too."

The teen raised an eyebrow, "Five people in one apartment?" He asked disdainfully.

"Well... we were thinking of maybe getting a small house, instead," Minato said.

Kakashi shook his head, "It's about time I had my own place, anyway. I'm a Jounin already."

"Don't tell me..." Kushina started slowly, looking at the boy intently, "That Kakashi-kun is embarrassed to live with a girl...?"

A slight flush appeared over the boy's mask and he shook his head once, "That's not it," he insisted.

"Mm... I see," Minato said with a thoughtful expression, "Kakashi-kun is bashful around the ladies."

Kakashi glared daggers at his teacher—real daggers probably would have followed, but his teacher had skillfully thought ahead to make his announcement in a relatively public place where reacting violently could get innocent bystanders hurt.

"I don't have to stay here and let you make fun of me," the teen growled instead, the heat flushing his face making him all the more irritable.

Minato laughed, waving his hands in front of him, "Alright, alright, we're sorry, Kakashi-kun. We won't make fun of you anymore," he promised.

Harry looked between his fuming brother and the adults—he'd followed the conversation, but wasn't sure what decision had been made. "Are we still going to live with you?" He asked Minato with concern. It would be fun to live with Minato and Kushina at the same time—and the little baby that Kushina had said he could be the big brother of.

"That's up to you two," Minato replied, "Of course, Kushina and I would really like it if you both stayed to live with us."

Harry looked around at Kakashi.

The boy scowled, crossing his arms, "Harii can stay if he wants," he said distastefully, "But I'm not going to stay with a... baby." A flash of triumph appeared in the young teen's eyes, "They cry a lot, right, sensei? My performance as a Jounin would go down if I couldn't get the sleep I need."

Minato and Kushina exchanged looks—the latter snickering again. Minato grinned, "Oh, right, the _baby's_ why you don't want to do it..."

Kakashi shot him a glare and the man laughed, dropping the subject.

"We'll figure it out later, Harii-kun," he promised, ruffling the boy's hair.

Harry frowned unhappily. He _wanted_ to live with Minato and Kushina, but he _also_ wanted to live with Kakashi—his _brother_.

* * *

Asuma stretched, letting out a sigh as he leaned back into the couch cushions, "You're doing better than the _last_ time we met." 

Harry mimicked him, leaning back from his homework, "Kakashi-niisan gave me some books," he supplied, "So I've been practicing more."

The teen nodded disinterestedly, "That's really about all you can do," he agreed, "Practice a lot..." He rolled his eyes, "I don't know what the old man expects me to do with you."

Harry looked at the older boy curiously, "Don't you like your dad?"

Asuma shrugged, "It's not a matter of like or dislike," he grumbled before quickly changing the subject, "You should get back to work. Didn't you do _anything_ since last time?"

The seven-year-old flushed, "I did some things," he muttered self-consciously, leaning forward again.

"If you slack off too much on your book work, then it'll take you longer to become a shinobi," Asuma advised, "Even if you're good at techniques."

Harry brightened a little, distracted from his work again, "I'm good at Taijutsu," he announced, "Daijiro-sensei says I'm one of the best aims in the class, and last week I beat Mimoshi-kun at sparring, and he's _two years_ older than me!"

Asuma sighed, "But what I'm _saying_ is, it's not good enough just to be good at those kinds of things. All the teachers think you need to know your book work, too. Especially mathematics and law."

Harry made a face, "Tenzou says they're more like _suggestions_, anyway."

The teen snorted, "Never thought I'd hear a Hatake say that."

"Huh? Why?" Harry asked in confusion.

Asuma shrugged, "Because of Kakashi, I guess—he's not the kind of shinobi that takes the rules lightly."

"Oh..." The pair fell back into silence.

Asuma shifted restlessly before long, "Hey—do you mind if I smoke in here?"

Harry blinked, looking up at the teen with a frown, "What?"

"Do you mind if I smoke," Asuma repeated, pulling a small box from one of his pockets, "You know, cigarettes."

Harry's nose wrinkled in distaste.

Asuma sighed and returned them to his pocket, "I guess not," he grumbled, "Oyaji said I wasn't supposed to, anyway."

Harry was working out a particularly difficult math problem—involving the delivery of an important scroll—when the door opened. He and Asuma looked up—the latter having moved forward to read over his shoulder.

Kakashi stood in the doorway, staring at the two blankly. He frowned—visible eyebrow lowering slightly over his eye as his gaze fixed on Asuma.

"What are you doing here?" The white-haired teen demanded, sounding a little annoyed.

Asuma leaned back again and smirked, "Helping your brother on his homework," he supplied, "Since _you're_ too important for things like this."

Harry looked uncertainly between the two teens, not sure how to react to their strange behavior.

"What are you working on?" Kakashi asked—it took Harry a second to realize he was talking to him.

"Oh—um... math," Harry supplied awkwardly, "I... almost have it figured out..."

Kakashi frowned at the other teen again, "It doesn't sound to me like he needs your help."

Asuma rolled his eyes, "Look, I have another hour of this left, and if the old man finds out I skipped out early he'll make my life miserable. So why don't you come back and play big brother when I'm done, ne, Kakashi?"

Kakashi stared back at him for a moment and Harry shifted uncomfortably, looking awkwardly between the two. Finally, the white-haired teen spoke, "I don't like you," he stated coolly, then left the room, slipping into the room he and Harry shared.

Harry stared after him for a second, then looked hesitantly up at Asuma, "Why don't you like Kakashi-niisan?"

The teen shrugged, "It's not a matter of like or dislike," he said flippantly.

Harry frowned, "You said that already."

Asuma sighed, "I can't help it," he said, "It just rubs me the wrong way—how he's so stiff and everything... It's annoying."

"You should be nicer, anyway," Harry stated, "You're both Konoha shinobi."

The teen rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, I'll play nice, runt."

Harry frowned unhappily, but didn't have a chance to respond before the door to his room opened again and Kakashi emerged once more, this time with a scroll. Silently, he walked across the room and took up a seat under the window. He didn't look at them, but Harry was sure he was watching.

The boy glanced at Asuma again—who was pointedly not looking at Kakashi—then hunched over his homework again and willed the hour to pass.

* * *

August came to a close sooner than Harry would have liked it. They had several days off from the Academy at the end of the month to facilitate Jounin examinations—Harry dreaded the hours he'd have to spend alone. 

Kushina had been over more lately—when Minato was home—the two talking even more than usual and looking over brochures for everything from houses to caterers and reception halls. Their favorite subject was the upcoming wedding—only three weeks away now—which they still hadn't managed to agree on.

Minato thought it would be nice if Kushina wore a dress, but every time he suggested it, he had to dodge a punch from the irate woman (who was now becoming noticeably rounded). Kushina said the whole thing was stupid and since he was the Hokage he should just sign a contract declaring them husband and wife.

Kakashi was out of the apartment as much as he could be, and avoided being in the same place as Kushina and Minato whenever the two were together. Minato had sighed at his behavior and assured Harry he would get used to the change eventually.

The worst part of it, for Harry, was that his nightmares had returned in full force, and he'd wake up gasping and sweaty in the middle of the night, his relatives' screams ringing in his ears. Sometimes he'd look over at Kakashi, but usually the older boy wouldn't be there, which always made it worse because the room seemed to close in around him and the temperature seemed to drop twenty degrees and he'd imagine he was back in his cupboard under the stairs, the fire right on the other side of his door.

Harry knew full well that it had been a year since that day. Despite everything that had happened, he hadn't seen any sign of the people who had attacked them then.

On the last day of August, the seven-year-old started awake after a particularly violent dream with a muffled cry of alarm, feeling as though his skin were still being burned by flames. He blinked owlishly in the dark of his room, and turned his head directly towards his brother's futon.

To his surprise, the teen was sitting up in bed, staring straight back at him.

For a long time, the two sat in silence, neither saying anything and neither making a move to go back to bed or to get up. Harry was just beginning to think that, maybe, Kakashi had fallen asleep sitting up tonight when he shifted the smallest bit—just enough to let Harry know he was awake.

"Tell me about it," Kakashi's voice was the first to break the silence, calm and even and sounding much too loud in the stillness of the room. It wasn't a request, Harry could tell.

The seven-year-old shrunk back slightly, images flashing in his mind again. He didn't want to talk about it. He shook his head.

Kakashi's mouth quirked in a slight frown.

"... It all started with a mission," the teen said at length, "I was six at the time—a Chuunin."

Harry blinked and stared at him strangely, "What...?"

"O-tousan was the mission commander," Kakashi continued monotonously, "He was in charge of making sure the mission was completed, no matter what. I don't know the details, but it must have been more dangerous than was anticipated. O-tousan's teammates were severely injured and he chose to pull out, putting the lives of his comrades above the completion of the mission."

Harry's eyes widened as he realized what the older boy was talking about. He listened in rapt attention to the teen's monologue, soaking in everything he could about a father he didn't know. But Kakashi stopped then, looking up at him expectantly, a single, glittering eye staring at him out of the darkness.

It only took a moment for Harry to realize what was expected of him. He shifted uncomfortably. He didn't want to talk about it. But Kakashi, he knew, didn't want to talk about their father, either. Turnabout was fair play.

"I-it was... late in August... so we were getting ready for the new school year," he began slowly, his voice shaking a little. Hastily, he added, "In—in England, we start school in September and go around to early June."

Harry hesitated again, memories of that time sneaking into his mind again and making him shudder. He pulled the blankets a little closer and lowered his voice, "I think my uncle knew they were bad," he whispered, "They came to the door... and he yelled at them to get out, slamming the door again... But then they broke it down—some kind of explosion or something..."

"They... came into our house and... started demanding... where I was..." Harry broke off, his breathing heavy and sweat beading on his brow as he remembered the way their harsh voices had demanded his location. How Uncle Vernon had insisted time and again that he didn't know what they were talking about. He still wasn't sure if his uncle had been trying to protect Harry or Dudley and Aunt Petunia through his denial.

"... A lot of people were angry," Kakashi supplied when Harry didn't continue right away, "They... did and said things... unfavorable towards us. Even though he'd saved three lives, the village was forced to go to war afterwards and people blamed him for that, claiming that it was because he hadn't completed his mission."

"O-tousan... started to become… despondent," Kakashi chose his words carefully, his voice emotionless as he reported the events even as he did his best to lock them out of his heart.

"_I believe the White Fang was a hero!"_ Obito's words echoing in his mind made the injustice of it all harder to bear, the pain of it fresher than it had felt in all those years he had kept it locked away behind the guise of justice. Because if his father hadn't been a traitor, like everyone said, then what purpose had his death been for?

"His... mind degraded," Kakashi continued dully, "And his body with it until he was only a shadow of the man he used to be." He didn't like to think of his father in those last torturous months. He'd been embarrassed that his father—the White Fang, hero of Konoha!—could fall so far. And he'd been convinced that, somehow, the man would piece himself together again and work his way back to the top.

Harry recognized his cue as the silence dragged on, "They... cut him open... with magic, I think. They didn't have knives or anything, just sticks, but he didn't tell them where I was... They... hurt my aunt, too... I don't know what they did, but... she screamed so much... I think my uncle was going to tell then, maybe, but I couldn't take it anymore... I thought if I showed myself, they'd let the others go..."

He shook his head slightly—events got fuzzy for a few seconds after that. "I don't remember walking into the room... sort of, I do, but it's really weird and I don't really... But then I was suddenly standing in the middle of the room."

"They didn't let anyone go," Harry continued quietly, scrubbing at his eyes futilely, "They threw Uncle Vernon at me and tied everyone up—magic, I think. And then..." His voice quieted even further, "They lit the house on fire."

He broke off for a moment but when Kakashi moved to speak, he continued, voice shaking, "The flames spread quickly, and Uncle Vernon was crushing me, but I wasn't tied up like the others. I got out from under him, and they sent me to the kitchen to get a knife... but... there was even more fire in the kitchen and..."

Harry squeezed his eyes shut, breathing heavily as he recalled the fearsome creature that stared down at him through the flames, "There... was a _thing_ there... it was moving around like it was alive, like an animal, but it was made out of fire... It—it lunged at me—there was nothing I could do!—and it... but then it stopped, right before it got me... it froze... I think... I think that was my magic..."

"But there were more, then... lots more," Harry admitted fearfully, "And I couldn't get near the knives—everything was on fire. So I ran back to the sitting room—but there were more of them there! And... and one of them attacked my uncle and... he screamed and caught on fire... and my aunt and cousin, too... I couldn't do anything—and there were even more of those... _things_ then... I had to run—even though they were still screaming."

"I couldn't get out of the house—everything was on fire! But... but I could get to... to my cupboard... so that's where I went, and I shut the door... I don't know why, but they couldn't get through." Harry clutched at his blankets tightly, his whole body shaking with small tremors, "Everything was burning... and I could hear them screaming the whole time—even later, when someone opened my cupboard again and the fires were all out... I could still hear them. I still can—when I'm asleep."

Silence fell for what felt to Harry like a long time. He wished his brother would say something. That it wasn't his fault, even though those strangers had been looking for him. That he _couldn't_ have done anything to help the Dursleys. That he shouldn't hear them screaming because it wasn't his fault.

"... It was months later," Kakashi said at last, his voice still that carefully collected tone, "I'd just got back from training... The smell of blood was heavy in the house. I found him—in his office—in a pool of dark, cold blood. He'd gutted himself with his tantō—seppuku, they call it, a kind of ritualized suicide. He was less than an hour dead when I arrived."

He didn't mention that he'd dawdled on the way home—disgusted enough with his father's behavior that he'd wanted to avoid going home as long as possible. He didn't mention that if he'd gone straight home after his teacher had dismissed him, he might have made it in time. The medics might still have been able to save him, then, and maybe they'd both still have their father today. Maybe the man would have regained favor in the village. Maybe the White Fang would be a hero again.

At the very least, he might have heard his father's last words.

But Kakashi didn't want absolution from his father's death. He knew the guilty parties involved—the villagers for their slanderous talk and thick-headed ways, him for his tardiness and lack of preventative action, and his father, who'd drove the blade into his own body. The villagers couldn't be blamed, they were an ignorant, misguided group. His father couldn't be blamed, he'd been driven to it over months of oppression. Kakashi would gladly shoulder the blame to absolve that of his father's and the village's.

"He... killed himself...?" Harry's voice spoke out, wavering in the dark room. Even though he hadn't known the man, it still felt so wrong that the story should end like that. It was unfair that he'd ended his own life, without even a thought to him—or Kakashi, really.

Harry almost wished he hadn't been told.

"It wasn't his fault," Kakashi's voice was suddenly intense and protective, his eye gleaming in the darkness, "He was driven to it. You don't understand, you weren't there. The villagers did terrible things—they really believed he was the cause for their suffering. He distanced himself from everyone—even me—and I _let_ him. I didn't think anything could really break him, so I let him suffer alone."

"The White Fang was a hero of the Leaf," he said fiercely, "He put his teammates above his own life."

And even though he'd said just that, Kakashi thought he was beginning to understand. Thanks to Obito.

* * *

Harry had expected things to change between him and his brother. Even he wasn't sure how—maybe they'd be closer, with the shared knowledge of their father's death, or maybe they'd drift further apart again, like they had after Kakashi had shown him their father's grave. 

So the seven-year-old was a little surprised when, the next morning, Kakashi behaved as though nothing at all had passed between them. They hardly spoke over breakfast, and in the afternoon, after classes let out, the two of them went to their usual training grounds together. Harry reluctantly showed the teen how his chakra control was coming along, and Kakashi criticized his technique heavily, outlining tersely what he needed to do to fix it before leaving him to his own devices, as usual.

The days that followed were no different, and Harry began to wonder if he hadn't dreamed the whole thing.

September fifteenth came again soon enough. They didn't plan a large party—like they'd had last year—but Minato did say he was going to take them out for dinner. Harry had gone with Kushina to buy his brother a present. It wasn't anything as silly as a stuffed dog, this time—he knew Kakashi well enough by now to know he wanted things that he could put to use.

The problem came when Minato managed to tear himself away from his work to meet everyone. Harry was still with Kushina, and Rin had come, as well, but Kakashi was nowhere to be found.

"Okay," Minato started once everyone had inputted their ideas of where Kakashi might be—there weren't many of them. "Kushina, you take Harii-kun to the training grounds—he knows the places Kakashi likes to train. I'll check out the Memorial Stone, and Rin, you—"

"I have an idea, sensei," the girl interrupted.

Minato frowned slightly, but nodded, "Okay, follow your hunch, then. I'll check back with Kakashi's team if I don't find him at the Memorial. We'll meet back here in an hour and start from scratch if no one's found him."

With nods of understanding all around, the four of them split up, scattering in their different directions.

It only took a few minutes to reach the training fields with Harry riding on Kushina's back, and the woman slid to a stop as the boy started rattling out locations he thought his brother might be.

"It'll take all day to search everywhere..." Kushina mused. A smirk crossed the woman's face then and she glanced at Harry and put her hands together in a seal.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise when the smoke cleared to reveal no less than _five_ Kushinas smirking down at him. "Bunshin," he breathed in understanding, reaching out to touch the nearest one and becoming surprised all over again when his hand actually hit a solid body.

"Close," the Kushina Harry thought was the original said, "These are _Kage Bunshin_. They're all solid, and with them we can split up to cover more area." She paused, a slight frown flittering across her features as she added, "Don't tell Minato." Her eyebrows drew together and she added sternly, "I _mean_ it, this time."

Harry was quick to nod in compliance.

The woman huffed, "Ever since he found out I'm pregnant he's been cutting me back from the difficult missions. With the baby due in just over a month, he's knocked me down to the occasional D-Rank, and forbid me from using jutsu." She snorted, "He doesn't know anything about babies. The doctor said it was fine."

Harry looked at her stomach—where he knew the baby was—with curious awe again. It was hard to believe his little brother—or sister—was in there. "Does the baby have a name yet?"

"Eh?" Kushina asked. She scratched the back of her head, "I dunno... maybe I'll call it Kaka-chan if we don't find your brother."

Harry couldn't stop a snort of laughter at the nickname. He imagined Kakashi would be furious if he'd heard it.

* * *

Minato scoured the village, a bit miffed after his stop at the Memorial Stone had come up blank and even Kakashi's teammates had no idea where their commander might be. He only absent-mindedly returned waves and greetings called his way, hurriedly moving on and wondering where his stubborn student had gotten off to this time.

* * *

It wasn't a place he usually went, so he wasn't expecting to be found. Kakashi was lounging underneath a tree, Ryou-kun's head half asleep in his lap. Work on the Hokage Monument—where a fourth face that was supposed to resemble his teacher was being slowly added—had ended for the day already, so it was quiet when Rin found him. 

"Everyone's looking for you," was the girl's greeting.

Kakashi almost groaned, but he held it in. "I don't feel like celebrating," he said, instead.

Rin smiled slightly and took a seat beside him, her shoulder just barely brushing against his as she leaned back against the tree trunk. "I know what you mean," she agreed, "But sensei really has his heart set on it and he's been so busy lately..."

The boy scoffed, "It's his own fault," he argued, "He's the one who wanted to be the Hokage. And get married."

The girl laughed softly, "Well, he's just getting too big for us to hold onto, isn't he?"

Kakashi shot her an annoyed look, "I'm not _holding onto_ him. I'm just saying it's his own fault he's so busy."

"We're all getting pretty busy," Rin mused, "When's the last time we all did something together?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Probably Harii's birthday."

"That was more than a month ago," Rin commented, "We used to do things _all_ the time."

"We _used_ to be a team," Kakashi pointed out.

_Back when Obito was around,_ was the thought they both left unspoken, allowing an uncomfortable silence to settle in its place.

"What time is it?" Rin asked eventually, checking her watch and cringing as she saw the display, "We were supposed to meet almost half an hour ago. Sensei'll be mad."

"Sensei's never mad," Kakashi shrugged.

"He gets mad sometimes," Rin countered, "When he's worried." She narrowed her eyes at the boy, "Like when you end up in the hospital for the second time in a week. Of course, _I'm_ the one who has to listen to him complain about _your_ irresponsibility because _you're_ always unconscious."

Kakashi frowned in disbelief, "He never cared when someone"—_Obito_—"showed up late before," he countered, "You could probably go back an _hour_ late and he wouldn't even notice."

Rin rolled her eyes, "Yeah, right," she returned the disbelief, "He'd probably have his ANBU team out searching for us. Then he'd give us a long lecture about how dangerous it can be to wander around where no one knows where we are because an enemy could come in and kill us and they wouldn't know for weeks and weeks." She paused at the look the boy was giving her and shrugged, "What? He complains about you a lot, Kakashi-kun."

"He never complains to me," Kakashi retorted.

"Probably because he complains himself out with me," Rin said, "I don't know why—it's not like _I_ can stop you from being so reckless."

Before they knew it, twenty minutes had passed and Rin was nearing an hour late. To compensate for her tardiness, she made Kakashi go back with her, a yawning Ryou-kun trailing behind them.

"Oh, good, you found him!" Minato's voice heralded their return. The man grinned in his usual silly way and rubbed the back of his head, laughing, "We were about to send an ANBU squad after you, you know."

Rin and Kakashi glanced at each other and Rin wasn't able to keep herself from cracking up with laughter. Kakashi chuckled with her while the other three wondered what joke they'd missed.


	23. A Fatal Blow

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: In a perfect world, I would own everything, and have armies of helmeted minions to terrorize the surface of the earth. In this less-than-perfect world, I regrettably do not own Naruto, Harry Potter, or armies of helmeted minions to terrorize the surface of the earth. A pity.

Thanks to those of you who reviewed last chapter, I always enjoy hearing your opinions or questions. I'm a little late this week... well, unlike _last_ week, this week was exceptionally busy. In fact, I only got back from participating in an event at the Mall of America a little over an hour ago... and that was just today. And, actually, right now I'm supposed to be outside helping my dad shovel, so I'll have to make this quick.

All I want to say is that I did not invent the idea of communal ninjutsu. Kishimoto did when he had the Sound Four put up that barrier around Orochimaru and the Sandaime. Again, we see it used in the medical techniques used on Neji after the Sasuke Retrieval arc. The people who are seen using it are always extremely talented, so I assume it's something difficult to master, and likely gets more difficult with the more people you want to use... Just a little for you to think about as you read through the chapter, I guess. Enjoy!

Chapter 23 – A Fatal Blow

The Hokage stared calmly at the two people who had just appeared in the middle of his office.

"Steady there," an old man with an extravagantly long beard warned, helping the young boy next to him keep his balance with a hand on his shoulder. The boy had an unruly mop of white hair on his head. The Phoenix, still perched on the back of the chair, let out a musical trill and the Hokage took a moment to measure up the other man.

Based on appearances alone, Sarutobi estimated him to be at least twice his own age, and more than a little senile. The bearded man wore long violet robes with tiny, dots of white that must have been stars zooming this way and that across the cloth. Once in a while, one of the stars would explode into fiery supernova or die down to a dull red before disappearing.

He had never met the man before, personally, but based on the descriptions given to him by his predecessors—the Shodai and Nidaime—Sarutobi could tell that this was undoubtedly Albus Dumbledore, one of their main contacts with the outside world.

The child was dressed in pin-striped pajamas that looked a little large for him, and the expression on his face suggested that he might be sick at any moment. More than that, though, the boy was the spitting image of Hatake Kakashi, save for the dark, disoriented green eyes and the red scar in the middle of his forehead, partially concealed by his hair.

Once satisfied that his charge wasn't going to fall over, the old man stepped forward, a mysterious smile on his lips and a twinkle in his bespectacled eye. He raised his hand across the desk and spoke with a warm voice.

"You must be Sarutobi," he said in English so accented that the Sandaime could barely understand it, "Your predecessor mentioned you, and I had meant to visit, but time, it seems, got away from me."

Sarutobi rose and shook the man's hand, ensuring his own grip was just slightly tighter than the other's. "I have heard about you, as well," he supplied; his own English must have sounded just as accented to the foreigner, "Albus Dumbledore-san."

Dumbledore seemed amused, "Quite right; my reputation has apparently preceded me. But we have had relations in the past, if you remember."

The Hokage waved a hand to offer the man a seat, taking his own again, "Yes, three if I remember right. The most recent of which was seven years ago."

"Six years and two hundred ninety-three days, I believe," Dumbledore agreed amiably.

"Which brings us to your reason for coming today," the Sandaime noted, looking past him to the young boy who had his eyes glued to the softly trilling Phoenix.

"Yes," Dumbledore confirmed, looking as well, "Young Mr. Harry Potter. Or, as we have recently learned, Hatake."

He could feel the familiar White Chakra without even trying, but he maintained as much disbelief as he could. "What makes you think he is a Hatake, Dumbledore-san?" He asked, looking keenly at the other man, "You can't have blood to test him against."

The older man looked amused, "We use nothing as crude as all that," he explained mildly, "There is a potion my people use. All that is required is a drop of blood from the subject and his whole genealogy can be determined. It's known to be completely accurate for up to nine generations. The only thing it doesn't show are people who have married, or been adopted, into the family. Blood relatives only, I'm afraid."

The Sandaime raised an eyebrow, "You'll forgive me if I don't take your word for it, I hope," he commented dryly.

Dumbledore nodded, a benign smile on his lips, "Those outside of the wizarding community often have difficulty comprehending magical techniques."

"Then I will take a look at him myself, if you don't mind," Sarutobi said tactfully, ignoring the subtle insult to his intelligence.

Dumbledore waved a hand in acquiesce.

The Hokage stood and moved around his desk. "Harii," he called.

The six-year-old slowly turned from the Phoenix to look up at the stranger, visibly tensing.

"Everything's fine, Harry," Dumbledore assured the boy, "This is Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage. He's a friend, understand?"

Harry didn't even glance at the old wizard, body remaining tense as he watched the Hokage approach.

"Do not worry, child, I won't hurt you," Sarutobi assured him sincerely, stepping closer.

Despite his anxiety, Harry remained where he was, staring up at the unfamiliar man.

"Let's see if you're really of that clan," the Sandaime mused, slipping into his native language as he concentrated.

Forming a ram seal to further center himself, the Hokage built up his chakra. The energy slowly became visible, a powerful and controlled aura of blue surrounding him. Harry stared with wide eyes and didn't even think of moving as the man reached towards him, one hand still raised in half a seal.

Dumbledore watched in rapt attention from his seat—it wasn't often the ninja allowed outsiders to see how they worked, he knew.

As the Hokage's palm made contact with the center of the boy's chest, Harry gasped. A strange, almost electrical feeling began spreading through his body and within seconds he found a visible aura of something had surrounded him, as well. Unlike the Hokage, however, he was emitting a pure white light.

Sarutobi opened his eyes, allowing his chakra to fade, and Harry's disappeared a moment later, as well.

"Amazing," Dumbledore breathed, unable to help himself. The curious man that he'd always been, he couldn't completely squash the desire to learn more about what he'd just witnessed, "What was that?"

"The White Chakra," Sarutobi supplied in an indulgent moment, "The Hatake clan has always possessed it—as long as they have served this village, at least." He looked up, eyes meeting Dumbledore's, "I am convinced. Harii may stay here."

* * *

"I don't care," Kushina said crossly—despite being eight and a half months pregnant, it was still hard to tell with the clothes she wore—"I'm tired of it, Minato! That Yamanaka—Inoichi's wife, you remember—she won't leave me alone! Do you know there's people I don't even _know_ coming up to me and saying they're looking forward to the wedding? I say we just elope and get married somewhere down in the south—I hear Kishitoyou is nice this time of year." 

It was only three days until the wedding date and it seemed as though every member of the village—civilian and shinobi—wanted a piece of the action. Minato was getting quite tired of it, too—he was more behind on paperwork than he ever had been, and that was really saying something. He really wanted to know how discovering a new shade of blue they could use for tablecloths merited as an urgent matter.

"I know, I know," he sighed, "But it's only three more days. Everyone just wants to be involved—it's just a different kind of excitement that the village hasn't had in a while, so..."

"So what? Other people are getting married and no one's making such a huge fuss about them," Kushina pointed out with irritation, "Just because you're the Hokage, everyone thinks they can butt their noses into our business. You should tell them to stuff it—they'd listen to you!"

Minato doubted they would, "I'll talk to some people and ask them to tone it down, okay?" He granted, mindful of allowing his fiancée to win a battle where she could, "Yamanaka-san, right?"

The red-haired woman promptly began rattling off a whole list of names of people who had been bothering her and Minato sighed again.

"Can this wait until later, Kushina-chan?" He asked hopefully, "I have a lot of work to do and..." He trailed off under the woman's glare.

"Fine," Kushina agreed at length. "I'll make you a list," she decided, "And you can look at it when you come home."

"Alright," Minato sighed—maybe he'd stay out tonight.

Luckily, his wife-to-be couldn't read thoughts, and had soon let him get back to his work. Minato thought she might be getting him back since he removed her from the active duty roster. In fact, he wouldn't put it past her to have started spreading the word about their wedding _just_ so everyone would get on his nerves. Of course, if she had, it seemed to have back fired a little.

"So, what's this I hear about the Hokage getting married?" A casual voice interrupted his paperwork again less than five minutes later.

Minato's pen ripped through the paper and he bit back a curse halfway through the word, looking up darkly. His scowl didn't lessen at all when he saw his perverted teacher leaning casually against the wall near an open window.

"It's rude to just pop in on people like that, you know," he grumbled, turning back to his papers and trying to salvage the one that he'd ripped, "Unlike some people, I actually have a _real job_ and can't drop everything I'm doing just to listen to your lecherous talk."

The white haired man gaped, apparently taken aback by the hostile greeting. A second later, though, he was ranting with self-righteous indignation, "Hey, now, brat, don't go jumping to conclusions! I'll have you know, lecherous things are the furthest from my mind right now—as sad as that may be—I only brought up the wedding because I'm here to tell you that you'd better not have that date set in stone."

Minato frowned, looking up at his teacher's serious tone. The man, he noticed, was closing the window and drawing the shades, fixing seals around the room as he talked. He turned to Minato then, approaching the young man's desk with a serious frown on his face, "I've already talked to the old man," he continued, "But since it seems you're in charge these days, he told me to give the details to you. He'll be by later to discuss it, no doubt."

"What?" Minato asked in concern, all thoughts of his ruined paperwork dismissed—it was unlike Jiraiya of the Sannin to be so serious about anything. "Has something happened?"

The Sannin's eyes narrowed and he leaned over the wide desk, a forbidding expression on his face, "You better believe it has, brat. Something _big_."

* * *

It was the ANBU, mostly, who were sent north. Harry once caught sight of them when he was out too late with his brother. Twelve of them were leaving the village all together, jumping across the rooftops in blurs, their bodies covered in gray armor and their faces concealed behind white masks. 

Kakashi had frowned at it—"They never travel in such large groups," he told Harry at the time, but that was the most that was said about it. Other shinobi, from Genin to Jounin were suddenly being kept near to the village, and a few days into October all but a few of the acting shinobi were at home. Konoha was more crowded than anyone could remember it ever being.

Everyone knew why, but no one talked about it.

There had been no official announcement, but the Hokage's wedding was quietly postponed. Minato would stay locked in his office for days on end, holed up and often accompanied by Jiraiya and the Sandaime, and sometimes others among the Jounin.

The entire village was somber and tense, fear creeping into people like it hadn't since the beginning of the last war. Intangible whispers filled dark corners and shadows, talk of what was coming without actually saying it.

Tenzou and Harry—arguably two of the most ignorant in their year—went to the library to find out what all the fuss was about. They'd found their answer in a heavy, dust-covered tome hidden back in the lower corner of one of the shelves, and had paged through the thick pages to a large, ink drawing.

"Here it is," Tenzou stated quietly, his voice barely carrying to Harry's ear as the two boys studied the drawing of the monstrous demon with burning red eyes and long, vicious limbs.

"Th-that thing's really coming here...?" Harry whispered back, his eyes slowly taking in what the lines of text had to say about the beast. It reminded him of the fire beasts that had attacked him and the Dursleys—only about a hundred times bigger.

"Looks like it," Tenzou agreed.

"But... it's only a fox," Harry said uncertainly, suppressing a shudder as he looked up at his friend with wide eyes, "Sensei—Yondaime-sama—and the other shinobi... they can take care of it, right?"

Tenzou stared back at him for a long moment before returning Harry's forced smile with a quick one of his own, "Yeah, sure," he agreed, closing the book and replacing it on the shelves, "Come on."

Harry stared back at the thick tome until he'd followed the older boy around the corner. He trotted to catch up, "Where are we going, Tenzou?"

"Let's get some of the kids and go swimming," Tenzou said loudly—which was fine since the library was all but deserted. Even though the number of shinobi in the village was at its all time peak, during the day they were scarcer than a cool breeze. They were all out training, Harry knew, because that's where his brother was all day, too.

"It's way too quiet around here," Tenzou continued as they made their way back out into the humid heat of early autumn, "Someone needs to liven things up a little."

Harry agreed, but he couldn't help the worry building up inside of him.

* * *

Minato ran a hand over his itching eyes, red from a lack of sleep as he sat amongst piles of scrolls and his own notes, trying to make sense of everything and work out the kinks in the seal before he ran out of time. 

"You should take a break, Minato," Sarutobi's voice was gently reprimanding as he sat back from his own work, "When's the last time you slept?"

Minato ran a hand through his ragged, overgrown hair, "I know I'm close," he said with frustration, "But it's still missing something. I can't sleep with the seal only half finished. It could be here any day."

Jiraiya, from another part of the office, snorted, "The old man's right, brat," he grunted, "What use to us are you if you're half dead from exhaustion."

"I'm fine," Minato dismissed, "I just need more tea." Suiting actions to words, he fumbled for his misplaced mug for a moment before taking a long drink of the cold, thick liquid at the bottom of his cup. He made a face at the taste and glowered at the cup as though it had intended to trick him. After surviving off caffeine for several days already, he hardly felt energized from another small boost.

"All the caffeine in the world won't do you as much good as a few hours of sleep," Jiraiya stated, "Go home and get some sleep, when you come back you'll be thinking more clearly."

Minato opened his mouth to argue again, but Sarutobi cut him off, "Go," he insisted, mimicking his student's words, "We'll continue working without you and let you know if we find anything."

The blond sat still for a moment in contemplation. Reluctantly he nodded and unfolded himself from the place he'd been sitting for the last seventy-two hours. He cringed as cramped muscles pulled and joints cracked—he'd never considered himself old until this started. Vaguely, he wondered if he was getting gray hairs. A horrifying image entered his head—one of him with hair like his teacher's—and he knew then that he really needed to get some sleep.

"Alright," he sighed in acquiesce, "I'll take a few hours if you think you can manage without me..."

"We can manage," Sarutobi assured him mildly.

"Get out of here, brat," Jiraiya echoed the sentiments.

Minato sighed again before leaving—he really did need the sleep.

* * *

"Sensei isn't going to be happy if he finds out you've been here," Kushina could hear the disapproval in the teen's voice, even if it didn't show on his face. 

"I'm just helping some people out," she retorted, "Besides, he can't seriously expect me to sit around all day while everyone else is preparing for the attack."

Kakashi frowned at her, "He won't be happy if something happens to the baby."

Kushina smirked, "Why, Kakashi, I didn't know you cared."

The boy glowered, "Of course I care. It's yours and sensei's, isn't it? Anyway, there's a lot you could do to help out around town, too."

The woman scowled again, "Sure, if you _like_ that kind of stuff." She personally found nothing more boring than putting together extra barriers in much the same way that she'd constructed fences as a Genin. "Besides," she added with a sly look at the teen, "Minato wouldn't be very happy to find out someone's been putting in extra training every night."

It was Kakashi's turn to scowl, "I'm not the only one. A lot of people have been training more now than ever."

Kushina shrugged, "Well, if you don't _mind_ me telling him, then..."

The two of them locked gazes, staring each other down. Kakashi was the first to turn away, arms crossed over his chest.

"If you don't say anything, I won't," Kushina told him.

He snorted and walked off, not even looking back at her. Kushina took that as a yes and rolled her eyes after the predictable boy.

* * *

It was late in the night—or early in the morning, depending on your point of view—when a loud cry of triumph roused Jiraiya from his sleep. Uncomfortably, he peeled his face from the scroll he'd been snoring on and looked up, eyes mere slits as he slowly roused from a much needed sleep to see his protégé applying quick, rapid brush strokes to a large scroll in front of him. 

"What's that you've got?" He asked tiredly, glancing across at Sarutobi to see the older man was in a similar state of trying to rouse himself.

Minato, predictably, didn't even acknowledge his question and the Sannin winced as he got to his feet from the most uncomfortable position he'd slept in in years. He carefully stepped around the papers, scrolls, and empty ink wells littering the floor to crouch opposite the Yondaime's scroll and peer down at it.

"I see," Jiraiya mused as he surveyed the scribbled lines on the paper, "So you're using that to merge the chakra rather than keeping it separate."

Sarutobi appeared at his side, peering down at the scroll thoughtfully, "Hmm... The Hakke version will be too strong—the chakra will merge completely with the host's."

"That's the point," Minato said, looking up suddenly with an almost feral grin on his unkempt face—Jiraiya noted with amusement that his whiskers still weren't growing in evenly. "But in combination with the Shishou Fuuin, the merge will be a slow process, allowing the host to adjust to the influx of chakra as he learns to control it. Instead of being controlled _by_ the demon, this should allow the host to remain in complete control of the demon, calling just as much chakra as he needs and keeping the consciousness sealed inside of him. Like a jailer, if you will."

"A jailer, mm?" Jiraiya mused, peering down at the writing thoughtfully, "... I've heard of Shishou Fuuin somewhere before..."

"It's called the Corpse Method," Sarutobi supplied, his voice heavy, "Because it calls forth the Shinigami."

Jiraiya's eyes widened, flashing between the two other men before landing on his student, narrowed, "The Shinigami? That's suicidal!"

The blond flinched, "I know," he replied, rubbing the back of his head tiredly, "I might be able to find another way, but I'll need time..."

The Sannin grunted, "See what you can find," he ordered, "Enough have already died to that fox."

With a sigh, the Yondaime bent back over his seals, "I'll try," he grumbled, "But the last report had it less than fifty clicks out. At the rate it's been going, I don't think I'll have time to find a substitute technique."

"So try _hard_," Jiraiya retorted.

"It's not that easy," Sarutobi interrupted, "A sealing of this magnitude will take a huge source of energy. Without the assistance of the Shinigami it will most likely be impossible."

The three men were silent as the Sandaime's words sunk in.

"... A huge source of energy, huh?" Jiraiya asked with a frown, "Well, what if a lot of us get together? You know, teamwork and all that stuff. With everyone contributing chakra, would we have enough?"

Minato made a face, "Communal techniques are very difficult to master, sensei," he grumbled, "And there are only a few shinobi in the village with experience."

"So I'll give them a crash course," Jiraiya said confidently.

Sarutobi frowned and looked at Minato, "When was the last time we heard from the scouts?"

Minato checked his watch, then the clock sitting on his desk, and frowned deeply, "It's been more than three hours..."

Jiraiya frowned, "I thought you told them to report every two hours."

Minato frowned as well, "I did," he confirmed warily, not wanting to think of what it meant if his most dependable ANBU weren't reporting on time.

"We'll need a replacement scout," Sarutobi said, voicing his successor's fears, "The only way those men wouldn't report in is if they were dead. Jiraiya, you keep tabs on the fox—I'll see about giving our shinobi a crash course in communal chakra techniques."

Minato nodded somberly in agreement, "I'll get back to work, then." He didn't feel good about this plan—too many factors could go wrong. If they didn't have enough chakra, or if someone was unable to complete the technique, it could end with all of them suffering extreme chakra drain in the middle of the battle. Konoha would be left defenseless.

Of course, it might not even get to that. Sarutobi might not find enough shinobi capable enough to pull off the difficult techniques. Minato might not even be able to finish the modifications to the seal.

The Fourth raked a hand through his hair again—it all came down to time. They didn't have enough of it to prepare. If they had another month... but even that might not be enough time to prepare for something like this! His fingers curled in his golden locks, tugging in frustration.

A touch on his shoulder made him look up—Jiraiya had already gone and Sarutobi was looking down at him seriously.

"All we can do is try, Minato," the older man said somberly.

* * *

"Aren't you going home?" Harry asked curiously, stopping in his trek away from the Academy to look back at the older boy. 

Tenzou shook his head and sighed, lodging his hands behind his head, "All the Jounin are up to something so Ichikaru-san said I should work on my own after classes today."

Harry looked down briefly—if all the Jounin were really up to something, Kakashi wouldn't be home, either. He looked back to the small training area behind the building—there were a few older kids practicing on targets. "… Kakashi and sensei won't be home, either," he said slowly, "I'll stay a little longer, too."

Tenzou flashed him a smile, "Alright, let's go."

Harry nodded and followed Tenzou around to the back of the school, where the targets and training grounds were. They dropped their bags beside the building, strapping on kunai pouches before staking out two targets next to each other.

"Ichikaru-san says I need to work on rapid projectile techniques," Tenzou supplied with a sigh, "I can grow trees fast, though, so I don't know why I need to be able to throw kunai that fast, too."

"Aiming at things should be second nature to a shinobi," Harry said knowledgably, "Kakashi-niisan is really fast, and he can do this cool thing where he spins around and hits the target with a kunai all really fast."

Laughter broke out on the other side of the field and Harry and Tenzou both looked over. They didn't see anything funny, but a brown-haired boy seemed to be the butt of the joke, laughing sheepishly and rubbing the back of his neck underneath a messy ponytail.

"Let's get started," Tenzou said, turning and dropping his hand to his side.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, tearing his eyes from the group of older children.

* * *

Minato looked up as a flurry of leaves and smoke broke the stillness of his office. Jiraiya looked more frazzled than the younger man had ever seen him, face unusually flushed and hair sticking out even more than usual, an intense look on his face. 

"I hope you're ready, brat," he said, "Because we've run out of time. That thing'll be here within ten minutes."

This time Minato let his curse out unheeded, "Are the shinobi ready?" He asked tensely.

Jiraiya hesitated, "... Is the seal ready?"

"Doesn't matter if no one can do it," Minato shot back.

"Sensei thinks he might have enough who can perform communal techniques well enough," Jiraiya supplied reluctantly. He scowled, "I wouldn't put too much stock on them, though, they'll be running a little low on chakra thanks to the training."

"I... think I've figured out a way that might work," Minato supplied with equal reluctance, "It uses a lot of new symbology... I'm not sure it'll work."

"We'll give it a try," Jiraiya said optimistically, "It'll work. It'll have to."

"Sure," Minato concurred tiredly. He rubbed a hand across his eyes, "Look, give me a little more time—I think there are still a few bugs I can work out."

"Time," Jiraiya repeated with a nod, "We'll buy you time, brat, but be quick about it, even _I_ can only do so much against something like that!"

* * *

"Hey!" Harry jumped slightly at the shout, and turned with Tenzou to see an irritated Chuunin coming towards them from the school, "What are you kids still doing out here?" 

"Ah, sensei, I don't want to go home, yet," the two boys turned to see a single older boy still there with them—the one who'd been laughed at before. The boy made a disgruntled face as he complained, "My mom's making her "special" stew today..."

The instructor merely frowned all the more severely, "I don't think you'll have to worry about that today, Iruka-kun. All shinobi have been called to the village gates—I'm only doing last rounds to make sure little brats like you bunch aren't wandering around the village."

The disgruntled look melted quickly from the older boy's face, replaced by confusion and concern, "What do you mean? Why've they all been called to the gates?"

"There's no time," the man snapped, "You three need to get to the caves—do you know the way?"

"Caves...?" Harry repeated in confusion, glancing at Tenzou to see if he knew what he was talking about.

"I've... heard of them," Tenzou said slowly, "But I've never been there."

"Right," the Chuunin sighed, "Iruka-kun, you know the way. You'd better—" the man broke off as a loud, animalistic cry split the air, the ground shaking slightly with the volume of it.

"What was that?" Harry asked, looking around with wide eyes.

The Chuunin's expression darkened, "Go, now!" He snapped, "Iruka—make sure they get to the caves!"

"But..." The older boy started.

The man glared at him, "Go!" He insisted.

Iruka looked at him uncertainly a moment longer before turning to look at the two other boys. With a disgruntled look, he nodded, "Alright, come on."

The boy took off and Harry and Tenzou exchanged looks before running after him. The Chuunin took off in the opposite direction.

There were more piercing cries as they ran, each of them startled Harry to the core and he exchanged nervous glances with Tenzou and Iruka. He tripped once, when the earth shook particularly viciously. He caught himself with his hands, landing with a grunt.

"Harii!" Tenzou called in alarm, turning back. His expression froze, eyes fixed on the horizon beyond his friend.

Iruka, realizing he wasn't being followed anymore, stopped and looked back, "What—" he broke off, eyes widening, "What... is that...?"

Feeling heavy with dread, Harry pushed himself partially up and turned around. The horizon was ablaze to the north—as if the sun was setting there instead of its customary position in the west. Another cry split the air and for one horrifying second they saw something leap through the sky in a flash of red. Something huge—with jagged limbs and whipping tails.

"That's the..." Tenzou's voice trailed off.

"... Kyuubi..." Iruka whispered fearfully.

Harry slowly picked himself up as the ground shook again, feeling sick with fear—were they really trying to fight something like that? He could feel the pressure of it all the way back here. Was Kakashi over there? Was he fighting that... monster?

"We should go," Tenzou said, looking around at his companions.

Harry nodded frantically and looked up at their guide, "Um... Iruka-senpai...?"

"My... parents are shinobi..." The older boy whispered, eyes still fixed on the unnatural sunset—the real one going unnoticed in light of the fearful blaze.

"Iruka, we don't know the way," Tenzou reminded him anxiously, "There are lots of shinobi fighting—we need to get out of here!"

"Uh... right," Iruka tore his eyes away from the blaze and reluctantly started running the opposite direction. Harry and Tenzou took off after him and every minute or so the older boy would glance behind them, eyes wide and fixed in the direction of the gates.

They stopped near the Hokage's Tower and the two younger boys looked at Iruka in confusion.

"What are we stopping for?" Tenzou asked, frowning at the older boy.

"I... I can't go with you," Iruka said, hands fisted at his sides.

"But we don't know the way!" Tenzou reminded him, "He said we needed to go there!"

"I won't leave my parents!" Iruka shot back angrily, glaring at the other boy, "They're fighting back there! I'm going, too!"

"But... you're not a shinobi, yet," Harry said tentatively, "You'll... we'd probably just get in the way."

Iruka glowered at the seven-year-old, "I'm not a shinobi, but that doesn't mean I'm helpless. I'm going, but you guys should get up to the caves. There's a path around the back of the Hokage's Tower—that's the fastest way."

With those as his parting words, the older boy wheeled around and raced back in the opposite direction. Harry stared after him anxiously.

"Harii!" Tenzou broke into his thoughts as another tremor shook the ground, "Let's go!"

"I..." Harry hesitated—what could he do to help? He wasn't sure. Maybe he'd just be in the way if he went... but maybe he could help. He knew how to throw kunai, at least. And shuriken, too. "Kakashi-niisan is back there..."

Tenzou looked at the younger boy as if he were crazy, "_You _can't help him! He's a _Jounin_, right? We need to get to the caves—where it's safe!"

Harry looked between Tenzou and Iruka's retreating form. His heart raced as his mind was torn. When the Dursleys were attacked, that's exactly what he'd done—run and hid, and they ended up dead. But he hadn't been hurt—not badly, at least—he'd managed to protect himself with... whatever magic he had inside of him. But what if he could have saved them—if he'd just tried a little harder.

"I... have to go," he said.

"Harii," Tenzou groaned.

"But... I might be able to help," Harry said, "I'm... not a shinobi, but..." He looked down at his hands, "If I really have magic... maybe I can do something they can't."

Tenzou stared at him for a moment before releasing a sigh, "I know I'm going to regret this," he muttered, "But I'm going with you."

Harry flashed him an uncertain smile and both of them turned to run after Iruka.


	24. Regretful Consequences

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: There's this funny thing about Naruto and Harry Potter... Really, it's the funniest thing you'll ever hear. You've probably never heard something so funny before. Just thinking about it is likely to cause hysterics. Right, so here's the thing... Ready for it? I don't own them. Isn't that the funniest thing ever?

Funny things disregarded... Thanks to all the reviews last chapter. (We've got almost 500 and that makes me excited!) Since everyone seemed to think it was really mean for me to leave off where I did, I decided to get this chapter out a little early. I hope you like it!

Warning: Violence! Blood! Death! Not too gratuitous, but enough to earn it's T rating.

Chapter 24 – Regretful Consequences

Dumbledore frowned slightly as the Hokage gave in to his request. "Wait a moment," he started distrustfully, "This is not to be a permanent arrangement. When he's eleven, Harry will return to our world."

The Hokage hesitated, then met the older man's gaze boldly, "If that his desire, I will not stop him." The Hatake, he knew, had always been fiercely loyal. It would be a simple matter of grabbing the boy's loyalty while he was still young and Harry would never choose to leave. If he became even half the shinobi his father had been, it would be worth it.

Dumbledore regarded him seriously for a moment, gray eyes glimmering behind his glasses and staring deep into the Sandaime's unflinching gaze. For a disturbing moment Sarutobi had the distinct impression that the older man could see straight into his mind.

The impression passed and the old man nodded slowly, "Very well. We shall leave it up to Harry, then."

Standing, Dumbledore looked down at the boy, "Where will he be staying?" He couldn't help but feel some lingering concern for the boy, even after deciding this would be for the best.

"With his brother," the Sandaime replied without hesitation, "Kakashi and his instructor, a man I would easily trust with my own life."

Dumbledore frowned, "I had thought he might stay with his father," he commented. He knew Hatake Sakumo to be a man of good standing—despite what had happened with Harry.

Sarutobi took a moment to answer and lowered his voice, "Impossible... Sakumo has been dead for six years."

"Ah... I apologize, then," Dumbledore said somberly, "But he will be with his brother, you said?" It would be better than nothing.

The Hokage nodded, "Hatake Kakashi. He is still young, himself, and I am sure a relationship between them would be of mutual benefit."

"Indeed," Dumbledore agreed, "Then I will ask only one last thing of you..." He paused, "I am sure your word is as good as your oath, but I would appreciate a written agreement confirming that you will not try to prevent Harry from returning to us." And if the agreement had a spell binding the undersigned to their word, then who could really blame him? Ninja were a tricky lot to deal with.

"Providing that is what he desires," the Hokage agreed.

With a smile, Dumbledore produced a small, wooden stick out of seemingly nowhere. He flicked it a little, adding an odd little twist to the end of the movement and a length of parchment appeared in midair beside him. Obviously having expected it, the old man plucked it from where it floated and passed it across to the Hokage.

Sarutobi frowned suspiciously at it, but took the paper back to his desk, reading it through carefully, eyes moving slowly across the foreign text. At last he picked up a brush and dipped the end in a well of ink before affixing his signature to the bottom of the form.

"If that is all, Dumbledore-san," he started, "I would like to get Harii-kun to the hospital. He should be cleared by the medics before he joins his brother."

Dumbledore folded the parchment once and slipped it away somewhere within his voluminous robes. He inclined his head to the Hokage before turning to Harry.

"Well, Harry, it seems that this is goodbye, for now."

The boy stared up at him, muddled green eyes uncertain.

Dumbledore smiled and shook the boy's hand, "I look forward to seeing you again in five years time, Mr. Potter."

Harry allowed his hand to move up and down before the man let go and stepped back.

Dumbledore removed a silver pocket watch from his robes and twisted the knob protruding from the top.

"Goodbye, Sarutobi," he said before allowing his thumb to depress the small knob.

There was another crack and he was gone—Harry flinched at the sound. The Phoenix let out a shrill trill and flew straight up, towards the ceiling, only to disappear in a ball of flames before it hit.

Sarutobi shook his head in exasperation—wizards, he thought, seemed a tad too dramatic. Turning his attention back to the wide-eyed six-year-old, he smiled, dropping a hand to the boy's shoulder.

"Shall we see if Koichi-san is here yet, Harii-kun?" He asked warmly, gently steering the unresponsive boy towards the door, "I am sure you are eager to meet your brother..."

* * *

"Harii, look out!" Tenzou called out, diving at the other boy and tackling him to the ground. Both boys lifted their heads to watch with horror as an uprooted, flaming tree soared over head and crashed into one of the buildings nearby. Their heads then turned towards the gates, which were wrenched open, the left torn off its hinges. And, far beyond them, the monstrous fox that looked far more fearsome than its picture in a book, towering above the trees.

Harry hesitated, wide, fearful eyes aglow with the light of the fires raging around them, just beyond the gate. It was a terrifying image, and the shouts and screams that could be heard added to the horror of the situation. All the seven-year-old wanted to do was turn and run—but his brother was out in that, somewhere.

He pushed himself up and pressed forward again, Tenzou only a few steps behind him, looking around anxiously.

"Are you sure about this, Harii?" The older boy asked again.

"I have to try," Harry insisted—he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he did nothing and let the last of his family be killed.

Tenzou gave a long sigh, but continued to tag along.

They weren't far from the gates, and from there they could see Konoha's last line of defense. There were deep grooves carved in the ground and dozens of trees were uprooted with dozens more burning where they stood. Shinobi were scattered throughout everything, trying to hold back the monstrous fox as long as they could.

Pale faced Genin shakily shot oversized kunai from firing systems they had never used before, and a team of Jounin and ANBU much closer to the fox were trying to take it down with hooks and chains. There were groups of elemental types, summoning water and fire jutsu in tandem, throwing their attacks at the fox simultaneously, and a myriad of beasts of all shapes and sizes—but all considerably smaller than the fox—raced around its feet, biting and growling and trying to throw it off balance.

Iruka was struggling with a Genin several years older than himself to get through—the shinobi trying to send him away. Harry and Tenzou exchanged glances before running towards him by mutual consent.

* * *

"We can't hold it off much longer," Jiraiya appeared near the window again, looking even more disheveled than ever, "Brat, you'd better come now if there's going to be anything left of Konoha." The man looked exhausted, and blood was staining his left side—Minato couldn't tell if he was hurt or if it was someone else's.

Reluctantly, the younger man stood, "I'll be there in ten minutes," he promised, gathering up the scrolls he would need.

Jiraiya frowned at him before nodding slowly, "Be quick about it," he said again before disappearing.

* * *

Kakashi was lost in the myriad of shinobi. He'd been separated from his team for some time and was almost certain that at least one of them was dead—he couldn't be positive of anything in this chaos.

The only thing the Jounin could be truly aware of was the threatening form of the demon fox looming overhead. He couldn't turn his thoughts away from it long enough to be aware of anything else. It had become less of a fight for Konoha, and more of a fight for his life.

It felt like they'd been at it for ages. He hadn't been using the Sharingan, but he was exhausted, anyway, and every minute longer he had to fight felt like an eternity.

The sun had set, but he wasn't sure when. It wasn't a huge concern, anyway, because the fires devouring the forest and the village provided more than enough light and heat to fight by.

He was about ready to collapse on his feet—but doing so would be the equivalent of shoving a tantō in his stomach, he thought.

"Hold him off! Yondaime is coming!" The shout echoed down the line and Kakashi felt a fresh burst of adrenaline as he heard it.

Everything would be okay. His teacher was on his way, and as soon as he got there they'd be able to put this thing under.

With renewed energy, the teen continued fighting more vehemently than ever.

* * *

"Let me go!" Iruka struggled against the man restraining him, "My parents are out there!"

"Listen, kid, it's dangerous out here. You're going—" he broke off with a sound of surprise when a seven-year-old tackled his legs and a ten-year-old jumped on his back, short arms struggling to put him in a headlock.

Iruka stumbled away from the teen as he collapsed under the combined attack and stared at the other two boys with surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"No time, just run!" Harry advised him, taking off as the Genin struggled to get back up, furious. Tenzou and Iruka quickly followed his example, making a break through the hole they'd created, and steadfastly ignoring the curses shouted after them.

It wasn't difficult to lose themselves in the chaos of the battlefield, although actually being there the three students were suddenly unsure as to what they were doing.

"We have to find my parents," Iruka said, taking point and leading the way through the wrecked forest. He forced his eyes not to linger on the broken bodies littering the ground, barely identifiable as human any more.

Harry, on the other hand, could hardly help but stare at them, his stomach lodged somewhere in the vicinity of his throat and his face slightly green and very pale. But he could hear his uncle screaming at him to get a knife, and demanding to know why he hadn't gotten one, and he forced himself to press on after the older boy. He wouldn't back down this time.

It was easier said than done when a tree in front of them was split in two by the wild slashing of a tail and the _wind_ from the movement knocked the three boys back, off their feet.

They stared, startled to find the fox suddenly so close. Its attention was elsewhere at the moment, but they were suddenly in the middle of everything. All around them shinobi were fighting and dying as they tried to subdue the fox—or at least hold it off long enough.

"Harii," Tenzou muttered by his side, wide eyes fixed on the looming form of the Kyuubi, "Are you... feeling any of that magic, yet?"

Harry didn't reply, thinking all of a sudden that this had been a really bad idea and they really should've just gone to the caves like they'd been told.

The fox screeched in agony when a huge harpoon tore into its neck, its claws dragging across the ground as it was pushed back with the force of the impact. There was a weak cry of triumph from the men who had propelled the weapon at it, and a communal tug at the chain trailing from the harpoon, but the fox's eyes gleamed angrily and its jaws dipped to close around the chain, which it then sent whipping through the ranks of shinobi, throwing the unfortunate fools who were still holding the chain into trees and comrades, and tearing the massive links through anyone that got in its way.

With a last, mighty pull, the harpoon was tossed aside and the fox lashed out again as the wound hissed and sizzled, closing up even as the three children watched.

* * *

When Minato finally approached the battle, atop the head of his most powerful summon, his heart nearly stopped. Horror and despair filled him—not only because of the damage raging around him, but also because there was no way _that_ method would work.

The ranks of shinobi were ragged and broken—they were fighting with everything they had, but they were falling. There would never be enough combined chakra for a sealing of this size.

They would have to rely upon the Shinigami. And that meant there would have to be a sacrifice.

Minato had never been particularly suicidal. He would risk his life for his friends and comrades, of course, but he wasn't particularly _eager_ to die. Especially not now, with a wedding around the corner and a newly born son in one arm.

But it was the only choice at the moment. If Jiraiya or Sarutobi had been there, they may have argued his decision—or volunteered to be the sacrifice in his stead—but they were down there, somewhere, fighting to delay the fox as long as they could. And Minato wouldn't have been particularly happy about either of those choices, anyway.

He looked down at the baby tucked in one of his arms, "Well, Naruto, looks like this is it."

He hesitated a moment longer. This time not because of his adversity to death, but because _that_ wasn't really the kind of situation he wanted to carry his new born son into.

He hadn't been planning on using his son as the host, of course—there was a Nara boy who had been born less than a month ago that would be perfect. Last he heard, his son wasn't even supposed to be born for another three days. But the younger the host, the stronger the sealing would be.

Now that he thought about it, it seemed fitting. The monster that killed him would be forever bound to serve his son. Conversely, his son would spend the rest of his life cleaning up after the mess that he hadn't quite been able to get rid of.

"Minato," Gamabunta's voice was a rumble that broke him out of his thoughts and Minato steeled himself, tightening his one-handed hold on the infant. He'd need the other hand to initiate the seal.

"Let's go," he forced out, eyes narrowing in determination.

In retrospect, he supposed it was a good thing his life would be taken by the seal. Because Kushina would kill him for putting their son in danger like this and he doubted she'd be as kind as the Shinigami—which was really saying something.

* * *

One of the fox's monstrous claws ripped through the air towards them and Tenzou reacted first, slamming his hand into the ground in an anxious effort to form some kind of protection. The tree that grew was ripped through like it was butter and the claw kept coming.

They were dead, Tenzou realized with the jarring shake of reality, staring up at the gigantic paw and glinting, blood-stained claws with wide eyes. Behind him, Iruka let out a quiet whimper—staring up at the demon.

Harry stared with him, heart beating rapidly with fear and the helplessness of their situation. There wasn't time to do anything. The world around him seemed blurred, memories of his uncle's pale, splotched face beseeching him overlapping with what was really there.

And then the Kyuubi stumbled back with a yowl and the children could only stare at the blood spilling out of its paw, wondering what had saved them.

The fox seemed to be wondering the same thing, because it brought its teeth to its paw, gnawing at it for a moment before dislodging some kind of knife—the blade glinted in the light of the fire as it dropped to the ground, blade dark with blood.

Harry let out a disbelieving laugh, unable to keep an edge of hysteria from it as the knife buried itself blade first in the ground, the handle proudly jutting up. He recognized it, of course—the thick wooden handle, the long, wide blade, edge worn slightly with years of use. It was his uncle's carving knife—only it was about as long as a sword and equally proportioned.

Iruka let out a relieved sigh and Tenzou turned towards his friend with concern.

Harry continued to laugh—unable to stop himself. It seemed he had finally managed to get the kitchen knife, after all. He hadn't _tried_ to do anything, and couldn't be positive, in all the chaos, that some shinobi hadn't just started chucking kitchen utensils at the beast, but somehow Harry was sure that it had been him.

He looked down at his hands—expecting them to look different, for some reason—through the tears that were gathering in his eyes.

"Harii," Tenzou started anxiously, but he cut himself off as a shinobi landed in front of them—Harry didn't notice, still laughing, but the shinobi wasn't facing them, anyway, attention focused on the towering Kyuubi, howling in anger.

"What are you three doing out here?!" The shinobi demanded, "Get back to the village!"

Harry abruptly stopped laughing at the sound of his brother's voice, head snapping up, and Iruka scrambled to his feet, staring at the ninja indecisively. Before they even had a chance to follow the Jounin's instructions, suddenly a huge toad leapt at the fox, the two beasts towering over the tiny humans below them.

The Kyuubi, still distracted from the knife that had cut deep in his paw, was a little slow to react, allowing the toad to get half on top of it before it lashed back. The second of distraction was all the Yondaime needed to leap from the toad's head and slam a hand into the furious fox's forehead.

The beast let out another pained yowl and jerked back, thrashing against the toad again, who leaned his weight more heavily against it in response. Minato flipped away from it to land on Gamabunta's head, legs staggered and expression set as he fought to remain upright on top of the fighting summon.

But it was working.

"**What is this?"**The Kyuubi seethed, voice raising in human speech for the first time since it appeared, glowing eyes fixed on something behind the Yondaime that only it could see. It struggled as its energy was ripped from it with effective brutality.

The Yondaime couldn't help but smirk as the fiery chakra was sucked into the stomach of his son—who was bawling by now, although that didn't really register to the preoccupied man.

"Only what those who attack Konoha deserve," he shot back with a smug recklessness that was only brought on by the inevitableness of death—although some may argue he was smug and reckless even when he wasn't facing impending doom.

"Wha-what's he doing?" Harry asked, staring fearfully up at the scene as swirls of red energy appeared to lash out from the fox and pummel the Yondaime.

Kakashi's eye only glanced back briefly, hardened and cold as he growled, "I told you three to _go_."

"But... my parents," Iruka argued weakly, wide eyes fixed on the scene in front of them.

Kakashi _glared_, a wave of murderous intent lending force to his command.

Harry cringed at the expression and reluctantly led their retreat—which only lasted as long as they remained within vision of his irate older brother. As soon as they put enough room between them and him, they set off once again in search of Iruka's parents.

A heart-stopping scream that was _almost_ human broke the air and the three students turned back with wide eyes to see the fox being brought down by a combined attack from most of the shinobi in the area, its red fur already looking dull and lifeless and its wounds, for once, bleeding freely rather than healing up straight away.

With an earth-shaking thud the beast fell, disappearing behind the blackened trees that stood between them and it, and the giant toad leaped away from the scene.

"It's... dead...?" Tenzou wondered with disbelief.

Harry didn't reply because Iruka's voice cut him off, unnaturally high and pained, "Mom!"

* * *

Hours later Harry was sitting in one of the small hospital rooms that _wasn't_ filled to bursting with injured shinobi and exhausted medics, feeling numb and heavy with disbelief. Kakashi was in the chair next to him, looking as exhausted as Harry felt—and then some.

Neither of them had spoken, or barely exchanged a glance since Harry had arrived—after finally finding someone who'd been able to tell him where his brother was.

The woman on the bed stirred and they both looked up.

Her eyes were foggy and unfocused, but she managed to shift herself up into a more slouched position when she realized she wasn't alone in the room.

"What happened...?" Her voice was breathy and carefully controlled, and it still wavered slightly.

"It's over," Kakashi supplied, his own voice dead, "We... won."

Kushina let out a sigh of relief, "Minato wasn't sure—" she broke off, coughing, her body shaking violently and rousing the infant that had been placed beside her. The boy promptly began to wail.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked anxiously, eyes round and wide with concern as she finally stilled again. The baby was still crying.

"My... baby," Kushina gasped out, weakly trying to move towards it.

Harry slipped off his chair and approached quickly before hesitating over the crying infant, "Um..."

The woman smiled slightly, "Pick him up, Harii."

Awkwardly, the seven-year-old obeyed, and eventually the baby's cries quieted a little.

"What's his name?" Harry asked curiously, looking down at the whimpering baby.

"Naruto," Kushina answered with a smile, "We... agreed on it a while ago..."

Harry grinned and he glanced back at Kakashi. The older boy was watching them, his dark eye dull but intent. Harry's grin faded as he wondered whether they should tell her what had happened to Minato. He looked down at the baby again.

"Na-ru-to," Harry repeated quietly, "I like it. It's just like the swirly thing on his stomach."

"His... belly button, you mean?" Kushina asked in confusion.

Before Harry could reply, Kakashi cut in, "Are you really going to name him after ramen, Kushina-san?" He asked incredulously.

"I think it's a nice name," the woman said defensively, "And Minato likes it, too—he's the one who suggested it."

Kakashi rolled his eyes, "I'm not surprised," he grumbled.

Kushina laughed tiredly, "No, no, he got it from a book. The main character was named Naruto—he was someone who never gave up."

Harry smiled down at the baby, "It's a good name," he agreed steadfastly, "What do you think, Naruto-chan?"

The baby yawned.

"I think he likes it," Harry decided and looked up. Kushina's eyes were drifting closed and he frowned in concern, "Kushina-san?"

"I'm just... tired, Harii," the woman mumbled, "Take care of... Naruto, for me...?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed, awkwardly cradling the baby in his arms and meandering back to his chair.

* * *

The shock of everything that happened didn't pass for days. At first it seemed like nothing immediate had changed—other than all the fires and the fact that school was canceled until further notice. Minato hadn't been around the apartment much lately, anyway, so his absence wasn't an immediate reminder of his death.

But slowly it sunk in that he wasn't going to be coming back to the apartment _ever_.

Kushina's absence was a little more noted—she'd been around a moderate amount in the last couple of weeks, since she got tired a lot and had been forced to stop most physically demanding activities. Which mostly included everything she did.

To Harry, the woman's death was even worse than the man's. Rather than being as shocking as his was, hers set in quietly and it just didn't seem fair because Minato was already dead and now with her dead, too, little Naruto didn't have any parents.

It seemed like overnight everything had changed. And, really, it had.

Kakashi was gone more often than not, and he wouldn't tell Harry what he was doing, either. The village was in a state of near chaos as the governmental problems were sorted out. And there wasn't _anyone_ who hadn't lost _someone_ they cared about. Even Tenzou had lost Ichikaru-san.

"It's not so bad," Tenzou told Harry quietly as they sat together after the funeral—they'd had one large memorial to remember everyone who had died in the battle. "I'll be getting my own place soon."

Harry didn't even look at his friend, eyes glued to the ground in front of the bench. He didn't understand how Tenzou could look around and say it _wasn't so bad_. "So many people died," he managed to croak out at length, "Sensei and Kushina-san and... and Rin's brothers and Iruka-senpai's parents... and Ichikaru-san and—"

"But we stopped the fox," Tenzou pointed out, "And if we hadn't, then everyone would be dead, including you and me and Kakashi-senpai and _everyone_."

Harry shrugged. That might be true enough, but it didn't make him like the situation any better. "Maybe... if we'd gone to help earlier..."

Tenzou rolled his eyes, "I don't think we helped very much, Harii."

Harry thought he was probably right. Kakashi had been pretty angry when he found them down there. Harry wondered if that's why he hadn't been around lately.

"Anyway," Tenzou said, "Everyone has to start with the rebuilding tomorrow. They have jobs for us, too, right? We're meeting at the Academy."

"Yeah..." Harry said slowly—that had been an idea of the Sandaime's. He'd said the best way to get their minds off of the great tragedy that had come to pass was to get everyone busy, so even the Academy students were being given jobs around the village to help with the reconstruction.

* * *

Harry spent most of the afternoon after the funeral in his room crying. He felt silly for it, but found he wasn't really able to stop. He'd _liked_ his life here—with Kushina and sensei and Kakashi and Rin and Tenzou. It was incredibly unfair of everything to just fall apart like it had. He almost wished he _hadn't_ come here at all, then at least he wouldn't have had to meet people he liked only to see them die and leave him alone again.

It was a worse kind of pain than when the Dursleys had died, even. Or maybe it wasn't worse—but it was more cutting. The Dursleys, Harry thought, had been like getting hit with a heavy object, while this was more like a stabbing pain that he couldn't ignore.

He was curled up under his blankets, contemplating the two different kinds of pain and whether one was actually worse than the other or not, when he heard the door to the apartment burst open—they were still in the same room they'd shared with sensei, but Harry was under the impression that Kakashi was taking steps to get them a different home.

"Kakashi?!" A loud voice bellowed, and Harry heard a muted thud as the other door was pushed open. He then listened as the footsteps approached his room and his door was pulled open, as well.

"Kakashi?" The man repeated. Harry curled up tighter—Kakashi wasn't here.

"Hello, what's this?" The man sounded curious now, and Harry heard a strange clacking as the footsteps crossed the floor to his side.

He only opened his eyes after a long silence and found a large man with long white hair and a strange, outlandish dress crouched next to him. His eyes rolled all the way to one side of his head to find the face.

"... Who're you?" Harry asked glumly. He didn't want to be bothered right now—especially by someone who wasn't Kakashi.

"I take it you're Kakashi's brother," the man said instead of answering his question, "I've heard of you... Haru or something..."

Harry scowled, "I'm Harry."

"Right, right, Harii," the man excused, "Listen, I'm looking for your brother, so..."

"He's not here," Harry said with irritation, rolling over to face away from him, "I don't know where he is. He's probably dead, like everyone else."

"..." The man stared down at the little boy silently for a moment, then released a sigh.

"Well," he said at length, "I know he's not dead—I saw him yesterday... well, he's not dead unless he's been doing stupid things again, between then and now. Anyway—come on, kid, look at me!"

Reluctantly, Harry rolled over again to look dully up at the man.

The man grinned, "You asked who I was, right? Well, you'll be impressed to hear that I am none other than the Toad Sage, Jiraiya-sama! You've probably heard of me."

Harry stared up at him blankly and shook his head.

Jiraiya sighed, "Jeez, a guy goes away for a few years and everyone forgets about him. Come on, kid, you must've at least heard of the great Sannin, right?"

"Sannin?" Harry repeated, sitting up with interest, "You're one of them? I heard they were as strong as o-tousan!"

Jiraiya, who had perked up with interest upon learning that Harry _had_ heard of them after all, deflated again as the boy finished, "Oh, your dad, huh? Figures. Well," he drew himself up importantly, "I'll have you know that Jiraiya of the Sannin is definitely stronger than the White Fang—I always was, you know."

Harry ignored the slight on his father, more interested in what the man _knew_ about him, "Did you know o-tousan?"

The Sannin let out an exasperated sigh, "Yeah, yeah," he realized that he wasn't about to impress the kid at all, "But, look, I really need to find your brother before he goes and does something he'll regret."

Harry frowned again, "I don't know where he is," he repeated, "I haven't seen him since... the hospital. That was the day after the... attack."

"Jeez, alright, kid, don't cry," Jiraiya cringed, taking a step back—Harry scowled at him because he wasn't _going_ to cry. "I'll just go look for him on my own..." He hesitated and scratched the back of his head before adding, "I'll send him around after I talk to him."

"... Okay," Harry said gratefully—it really had been a long time since he'd seen his brother. It felt like he'd died, too, even though Harry was pretty sure he hadn't.

The man headed out the door again, raising a hand over his shoulder as he called out, "See you around, Haki."

"_Harry_," Harry corrected with a scowl, but by then the man was already gone.

* * *

"Alright, we'll be splitting you up by age," a Genin announced awkwardly to the group of students gathered in front of the Academy, "Kids nine-years-old and up will be going in two groups with Yaro and Kimiko to work on construction..." He paused uncertainly then added, "So if you're nine or older, come out here and get next to one of them."

With a lot of awkward shuffling and regrouping, the older students were sorted out into two teams lead by two Genin, and were soon led off to help with construction work.

"Alright," the Genin said again, "So, the rest of you... well, we need about half of you to help with the younger kids, so anyone who wants to do that should follow Hiro, and the rest of you will come with me to... deliver messages and fetch things."

Harry, along with most of the younger kids, decided that playing with other children would be much more fun than delivering messages and fetching things all day, so he got into the group to go with Hiro. After about five minutes—during which time the other Genin forced almost half of Hiro's group into his own—they finally headed out.

* * *

Jiraiya was furious when he finally found Kakashi.

"So, what, you thought it might be _fun_?" He demanded of the sullen teen in front of him, "Do you _know_ what ANBU do?"

The teen scowled at him, "Of course I do," he retorted, "I'm qualified. And besides, they lost a lot of members in the attack."

"Kakashi, the Black-ops is no place for a kid," Jiraiya frowned—leave for a few years and everyone starts disrespecting you.

Kakashi gave the man a dry look, "I'm fourteen, I'm not a kid. Besides, I'm a Jounin already. I think I can decide what to do myself."

"Have you even _thought_ about this _at all_?" The man demanded, "You'll be assassinating people—taking the suicide missions they don't assign to anyone else! This is ridiculous, Kakashi! He wouldn't want you to get involved in something like this!"

"I'm doing my duty," Kakashi retorted frostily, "Which is more than _some_ people can say." He shot the man a pointed look.

Jiraiya scowled, "Fine—do whatever you want! But think about this, at least: if you get yourself killed acting like a complete moron, you're going to leave that kid brother of yours all alone. You should be grateful to have someone like that around."

Kakashi scowled back, "I'm not forgetting about him," he grumbled. Really, it was _for_ him he was doing this. For Harry and Rin—and the whole village. ANBU might not be a glorious line of work, but someone _had_ to do it, and he could.

Jiraiya frowned thoughtfully at the teen before grunting and turning away. "Have it your way," he grumbled before stalking off.


	25. Normalcy

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

Disclaimer: I don't own the _Naruto_ or _Harry Potter_ franchises. I _do_ own the ideas and circumstances characterized in this chapter and the last twenty-four. I also own my own bokken, which I will use to smack anyone who claims otherwise upon the head.

Here it is, the end to my crazy wonderings one summer. And yet, at the same time, it isn't really the end... I'd like to thank all the little people who helped me come this far (as is cliche for me to do), everyone who reviewed or added me to their favorite/alert lists, and the C2s that have decided that my humble little project is worth archiving along other great stories for interested people to easily find.

More importantly, I'd like to say a few words about the sequel. There _will _be at least one sequel. It will be called Sphere of Influence. You can find a summary posted in my profile. However, it won't be out for several months. I have to do a lot of work to get a good start on the story and be sure I have the plot down solid before I'll be willing to post it here, so bear with me in the meantime. I will post a kind of "preview" at the end of this story at the time that I post the sequel, that way those of you who have this on alert will be able to easily find the sequel when it goes up.

In the meantime, there are a few projects I've been working on here and there that might amuse you. Currently, I'm working on something with Itachi... maybe it'll provide me with extra insight and motivation for the sequel. That'll be short, and I'll have another Kakashi fic going up after that, as well as a variety of one-shots here and there.

That's about all I have to say at this time. I hope you enjoy the conclusion of APM, and I hope you'll send any questions/comments you have my way.

Chapter 25 – Normality 

_**Boy-Who-Lived in Hiding**_

_After the attack last week on the home of Harry Potter, also known as the Boy-Who-Lived, many were worried about the future of wizarding society. As days passed and no news was released on young Harry's condition, many feared the worst. Today, however, the wizarding community is urged to relax, as Harry is "quite alright" according to Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts._

_When asked how Death Eaters managed to implement last Tuesday's attack, Dumbledore refused to comment on it directly, but did observe that Harry's place of living was, until then, common knowledge. This is also the problem he lays claim on to justify keeping the general populace in the dark about Harry's newest home._

"_He is safe," Dumbledore said when pressed, "And that is all people need know."_

_Of course, there are many wizards who are outraged by this secrecy. "For all we know, Harry could be dead and Dumbledore simply stringing us along with lies and false promises," Lucious Malfoy observed with a note of vexation. _

_Others agree whole-heartedly with the new steps being done to protect the young Savior of the Wizarding World. "As long as Albus is confident of his safety, that's enough for me," Arthur Weasley, from the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, said, "He doesn't need curious wizards poking around and invading his privacy at all hours."_

_Whether they support Dumbledore's vow of secrecy or not, all wizards agree that, in light of this event, the Ministry must renew its investigation for rogue Death Eaters. "If, five years after the fall of You-Know-Who, they still feel bold enough to organize an attack like this, then someone isn't doing their job," Augusta Longbottom, whose son and daughter-in-law were tortured to insanity just before You-Know-Who's fall, insisted._

_Minister Cornelius Fudge assures us that the Ministry is doing everything it can to ensure all active Death Eaters are behind bars.

* * *

_

"Do we have to go?" Harry asked a week later as he packed everything he owned—which, admittedly, wasn't much—into a box Kakashi had brought for him.

"The apartment's in sensei's name," Kakashi muttered in reply, not really paying him much attention as he sorted his own things out and put them in a second box.

It was the first time they'd really done anything together since the attack—they'd seen each other briefly a few days before, but hadn't really talked then. And suddenly, that morning, Kakashi had arrived home with boxes and announced that they were moving.

"Oh... What about... his things?" Harry asked uncertainly.

Kakashi shrugged, "Sandaime-sama will take care of that."

Harry nodded slightly in understanding. There had been a vote—that's what Tenzou had told him, at least—and the shinobi had put the Third back into office. The council—Kakashi had told him—wanted to hold off until a suitable replacement could be found. Kakashi's exact words were that they were "power-grabbing old bastards." Harry didn't question his opinion.

It still felt weird, everything that had happened. He still half-expected to see Minato walk through the door, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly and apologizing for his prolonged absence. He half-expected to see Kushina, dragging him out on another adventure or complaining about why _women_ always had to carry the baby.

Of course, he knew that they wouldn't.

The new apartment building was only a few blocks away from the old one. Harry carried his box of things while Kakashi carried two—one with his things in it and another with things from the kitchen he'd gotten permission to take with them.

"After this," Harry started, looking awkwardly around his folded up futon which sat on top of his box, "Can we go to the hospital?"

Kakashi shot him a strange look, "What for?"

Harry shrugged awkwardly and almost dropped his load, "To see Naruto-chan. He's getting lots bigger, already, and you haven't even seen him since he was born. He's already _two weeks_ old—and he's so cute!"

Kakashi grunted.

Harry frowned, "I bet he'd like another visitor," he told him, "Tenzou said they aren't letting many people in to see him. _He_ said that when he tried to visit, they wouldn't let him in. They always let me in, though, so I don't know what Tenzou did..."

"That's because of the Kyuubi," Kakashi explained, "They're taking extra cautionary measures."

Harry blinked in confusion, "What? Why?"

"That 'swirly thing' on his stomach... it's a seal containing the Nine-Tailed Fox," Kakashi supplied, "Everyone's talking about it—you must have heard."

"Er..." Harry flushed a little, "I think Tenzou said something about a seal... but I didn't really get it." He frowned, "What does that mean, anyway? How can something _alive_ be sealed inside something _else_ alive?"

"You wouldn't understand," Kakashi assured him—Harry scowled a bit, but the older boy continued, "Sandaime-sama says that the demon is completely sealed and the baby is harmless... but the council claims that as long as the baby is alive, so is the Kyuubi, and there's always the chance that it'll get loose and go on a rampage again."

He sighed, shifting his boxes so he could pull out the keys to their new apartment—he'd have to fix the lock to respond to chakra later. "Basically," he concluded, "It means that no one's quite sure whether the baby's going to go Kyuubi and kill us all or not. A lot of people are worried about it."

Harry frowned thoughtfully—the idea of that monster breaking loose in the village again was enough to give him nightmares for the rest of his life, he thought. But... Naruto was Kushina and sensei's baby...

"What do you think?" He asked his brother as the teen led the way into the apartment, awkwardly holding the door open long enough for Harry to get inside.

"Sensei wouldn't have made a mistake like that," Kakashi said confidently, "If the Kyuubi were still a danger, he wouldn't have said he wasn't."

Harry smiled in relief, "So Naruto's okay, then."

Kakashi shrugged and nodded to the room on the right, "That one's yours," he announced, "Go and put your stuff away."

Harry hesitated, looking back at him, "We're... not going to share...?"

The older boy scoffed, "Why would we get a two-room apartment if we weren't going to use both rooms? We aren't going to share."

Flushing a little, Harry nodded and quickly ducked into his new room, dropping his box on the barren floor. It was tiny—even smaller than the room he'd shared with Kakashi—but there was plenty of room for one person. The walls were painted an unfriendly off-white and there was a tiny closet next to the door. Harry snickered a little at the thought of getting up in the middle of the night and forgetting which door led to the rest of the apartment and which led to the closet.

He set his futon on the half of the room that was closest to the door, as he was used to, and pushed his box into the closet—it just fit. He'd unpack the stuff later.

"Can we go now?" He asked, returning to the main room—which was considerably smaller and more worn than their old one had been.

Kakashi was emptying things onto the counter from one of the boxes, "You can go, if you want."

Harry sighed dramatically, "But we never do anything together," he complained.

"... We'll go out to lunch when you get back," Kakashi offered reluctantly—they didn't have any food here yet, anyway.

Harry looked hopeful, "Really? Can we go now?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "Did you unpack your things?"

"After I unpack?" Harry offered.

Kakashi shrugged.

Harry grinned—taking it as a yes—and ran back into his room to finish unpacking.

* * *

He didn't get around to visiting Naruto again until the next day. The guard posted outside the infant's room at the hospital let him through without a hassle—as usual.

Harry liked to think the baby was happy to see him as he leaned over the edge of his crib, standing on his tip-toes. Roused from a light dose, the baby gurgled at him and tiny, chubby arms flailed through the air.

The seven-year-old grinned and picked up the baby obligingly, "Hello, Naruto-chan," he greeted warmly—because even if Kakashi didn't like him very much, this was still sensei and Kushina's baby and that made him like family.

The baby stared contentedly at his face. Harry wondered how long it would take for him to get bigger—so they could really start to play together. He didn't really know much about babies, although he was getting better at holding this one.

After a little while a nurse came in with a bottle and asked him if he'd like to feed the baby. Harry, never having done that before, agreed quickly and soon had the infant suckling greedily at his lunch.

* * *

He was there for almost an hour before he finally left, only to find Tenzou waiting for him right outside the building.

"You're late," the older boy commented.

Harry's eyebrows tilted together, "I didn't know we were meeting today."

Tenzou shrugged, "We weren't, but you usually don't take that long."

Harry shrugged—Tenzou was just weird sometimes. They fell in step with each other on a wandering path towards the village gates where the worst of the damage had occurred and was still being repaired.

"I found out why they're not letting anyone in," Tenzou said.

"Because he has the Kyuubi sealed," Harry supplied.

Tenzou shook his head, "Three days ago," he supplied, "Some medic tried to kill him. Now they're only letting people in if they're on the Sandaime's list."

Harry stared at him with wide eyes, not sure if he really believed it, "Someone tried to kill a _baby_?" He demanded dubiously.

Tenzou nodded, "The guard heard him scream—I guess it was just luck that the guard was someone from Kakashi-senpai's old team. He went in to investigate and managed to stop her."

"A _baby_?" Harry repeated incredulously—because who in their right mind would actually try to _kill_ a _baby_?

"I guess the Kyuubi killed her only child," Tenzou shrugged, "And she's a widow, too, so she didn't have any other family. She just wanted to see it dead." He shrugged.

"But Naruto's not—" Harry started.

"The Sandaime's going to make an announcement today," Tenzou interrupted, "About the baby."

"Naruto," Harry corrected grumpily.

"Sure, Naruto," Tenzou agreed, "I thought I'd tell you 'cause you probably didn't know."

"Thanks," Harry conceded, idly wondering how Tenzou found out about all of this stuff.

* * *

That afternoon, the two boys found each other again as they waited in the courtyard with hordes of others to hear the Hokage's announcement. Harry thought he'd caught sight of Kakashi at one time, but when he looked again the teen was gone—if he'd been there to begin with.

Harry, who was on fairly friendly terms with the Sandaime, was surprised to hear him sound so angry as he chastised the people of the village for their actions regarding Naruto. He was surprised again at the strict rule the man set out—no one was to mention the fact that Naruto had the Kyuubi sealed in him ever again. It seemed excessive to Harry, but he thought he understood why it was set.

Neither of those surprises matched his surprise when he turned with Tenzou to leave only to find a man in a white mask and tan cloak standing suddenly in front of him—he almost walked right into the man, who grabbed his arm before he could back away.

"What—" Harry started.

The man interrupted, impersonal voice issuing from behind the mask, "The Hokage wants to talk to you."

Still bemused, Harry let himself be led against the flow of the crowd. The masked figure seemed to have an easy time of it—like he knew exactly where every break in the crowd was going to be even before it broke open.

He was still confused as he was ushered into the Hokage's office, minutes later. His escort disappeared without another word.

"Good afternoon, Harii-kun," the man greeted him with a tired smile, "How are you doing?"

"Er," Harry was a little caught off guard by how sincere the man sounded—surely he hadn't had him escorted up here just to catch up on how he was doing? "I'm... okay," he started carefully. When the man gave no sign of speaking, he continued.

"I don't know... everything's been changing so fast—we moved into a new apartment yesterday, and I have my own room now, which is kind of weird..." He frowned thoughtfully, "Kakashi-niisan hasn't been around much, though... is he busy with something?"

"He hasn't told you?" Sarutobi asked.

Harry shook his head.

"Kakashi is now part of the ANBU," the man frowned at him, "Do you know what that is, Harii?"

Slowly, Harry nodded, "I think so. They're the guys that are always wearing those weird masks." He glanced towards the door self-consciously, half expecting to see his escort standing there.

A small smile twitched at the Hokage's lips, "Quite," he agreed, "This will be the only time you'll hear about it—unless something happens to your brother. The identities of ANBU members are a tightly kept secret, so you are not to repeat this news to anyone. To do so would be to compromise his safety."

Harry nodded again, "I understand."

"Good," Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, "I want to talk to you about Naruto."

"Oh," Harry perked up slightly, "I've been visiting him—is that okay?"

"You are more than welcome to visit him," the Sandaime assured the boy, "In fact, I highly encourage it. He'll need some support in his life, Harii-kun, and I'm afraid if things continue the way they've been going, he may not get as much as a growing boy needs."

Harry nodded somberly.

"What I am more concerned about right now," the man continued seriously, "Is the matter of Naruto's parentage."

Harry frowned in confusion, "What do you mean? Sensei and Kushina-san are his parents."

"There are only a few people that know that," the Hokage continued, "You're the only one I haven't talked to about it, yet. Naruto has been given the name Uzumaki. His father's name will be kept a secret."

"What?" Harry asked in confusion, "Why?"

"We don't have the resources right now to protect him from his own enemies here as well as those enemies of Minato's, particularly foreigners that hold grudges against him from the wars," Sarutobi said heavily, "Until he is strong enough to protect himself, his parentage must be kept a secret."

Harry frowned, "That's not fair," he argued. Speaking as an orphan himself, he knew that he would want to know who his parents were—no matter what risk it meant. Especially if he had to live around people who disliked him.

"Harii," the man said, "It is for his own protection. Try to understand."

"But everyone should get to know who their parents are," Harry argued, "Can't we at least tell him and not tell anyone else?"

"He will know who his parents are," the Hokage insisted, "_When_ he is ready to handle the knowledge responsibly. When he is able to defend himself should a slip of mouth occur."

It sounded reasonable, but Harry still didn't like it. Reluctantly, he nodded, "So... when he's a Genin?"

"When he's a Chuunin," Sarutobi corrected, "By then he should have enough experience to defend himself in most cases." He hoped.

"... Okay," Harry agreed reluctantly. It still didn't sound fair, but he wanted the baby to be safe.

* * *

Harry ran into the kitchen to find it in flames, and stared, rigid, as a creature wreathed in fire stepped forward. He was shrinking—or maybe the fiery beast was growing larger. Either way, a second later he found himself staring up into the snarling face of a gigantic nine-tailed fox with a feral snarl and malice in its eyes, its red fur made of licking flames.

Harry tried to move, but found his limbs were all suddenly tied, and the slight movement sent him off balance and collapsing to the floor. The fox lifted a fiercely clawed limb, evil eyes glaring hungrily down at him.

"_You're in the way,"_ the boy watched in horror as Kakashi jumped over his body to attack the fox, stabbing his sword into the fiery gut, only for the image to change a second later and it was Kakashi's gut the sword was shoved into with the fox standing between them.

The teen's mismatched eyes rose, his right dark and his left shining red, black dots spinning around the dilated pupil. Harry tried to call his name, but he was surrounded by ice, his magic protecting him—only him—from the burning house all around them.

The flames leapt suddenly, huge and engulfing and consuming everything—Kakashi's body and the Dursleys and _everyone_.

The screaming was deafening, rising up from thousands of tortured throats.

"Wake up!"

Harry jolted awake in his futon, hair damp with sweat, breathing heavy, and heart thudding loudly in his chest. He jerked away from the hands on his arms, only to force his eyes open a second later and find himself looking up at the frown on his brother's face. His throat hurt and his eyes were watery—he rubbed the water away before it could fall and looked up at his brother again.

The older boy was dressed strangely. He wasn't wearing his night clothes or his usual uniform. Instead he was wearing gray armor—a chest plate and arm protectors—with all black clothing underneath. The shirt was sleeveless, showing off a tattoo on his bicep that Harry was sure hadn't been there before. His mask was black, as well, but that was pushed down around his neck.

"I could hear you even outside the apartment," Kakashi grumbled.

"I... was screaming?" Harry guessed, cringing as his voice broke and scratched at his throat.

The older boy nodded and shifted to stand, "You should go back to sleep."

Harry started with alarm, "Where are you going?" He asked, shooting upright on his futon.

Kakashi glanced at him, the eyebrow over his uncovered eye raised, "To bed," he stated as if it were obvious, "I just got back."

"Can't you..." Harry trailed off. He wanted his brother to sleep with him—in the same room, like they used to—but it seemed like too immature a thing to ask for. Instead he lowered his eyes and nodded.

The teen crossed to the door, "Good night."

"... Good night," Harry replied quietly, laying back down.

He didn't go back to sleep.

* * *

Another two weeks passed in much the same manner and in mid-November classes started up at the Academy again. They had a few new teachers, but no one mentioned what had happened to the old ones. They all knew.

They also started a new subject—with their lectures revolving around Lightning Elemental Jutsu and the Village Hidden in the Clouds. Harry wasn't sure why, but Tenzou confidently told them they were going to war with them. Harry was sick of wars and hoped his friend was wrong this time.

The seven-year-old waited impatiently for the weekend, and first thing on Sunday morning he went straight to the hospital, to the room he was growing very familiar with. Only to find it very unfamiliar. And very empty.

"Hey!" He stopped one of the medics walking by, "What's going on? Where's Naruto?"

The woman glanced at the door he was pointing, too, then scowled, "Oh, you mean _him._"

Harry frowned in disapproval but didn't interrupt.

"Sandaime-sama found someone to take him in," the woman supplied, looking somewhat mystified about the situation herself, "I don't know who would want... _that_ in their home, but I guess someone must have agreed."

"He's not here?" Harry asked in surprise, "Where is he?"

"I said I don't know," the medic repeated with irritation, "You might ask at the front desk. They'll have to have signed some paperwork to get him released, so they probably have his new address there."

"Okay, thanks," Harry said quickly before hurrying back to the front desk and repeating his question.

* * *

It took him half an hour to find the house Naruto was staying at and he stared nervously up at it for another ten minutes before he worked up his courage to knock on the door. Someone started crying—Naruto, Harry guessed—and there was a bit of shouting before the door was pulled open by a haggard looking woman.

She scowled down at him, "What do you want?"

Harry shuffled uncertainly and hesitated again before speaking, "I, um, want to see Naruto... please... if you don't mind."

The woman simply _stared_ at him for at least a minute, as though unable to fathom what he was saying. If he didn't know better, Harry would have thought he'd been speaking English.

"Um..." He started again, unsure as to whether he should repeat himself.

"Fine," the woman interrupted sharply, opening the door and watching him suspiciously as he entered.

Harry hesitated in the doorway—remembering the time he'd been to Rin's house. "Should I—" he started uncertainly, glancing around for shoes or slippers by the door.

"It's fine," the woman waved him on, "You don't need to take off your shoes or anything. He's in the back room—I'll show you."

Harry followed her quietly, wondering why this family had taken Naruto in. The woman, at least, didn't sound very nice.

"My husband used to be on the same team as Uzumaki Kushina," the woman said, as if reading his mind, "We knew her quite well, before... I don't know if Kushina knew what they used her son for, but it's the least we can do to see him out of diapers."

"I knew her, too," Harry said quietly, "Kushina-san was... very nice. I think she'd be happy to know someone she trusted was taking care of Naruto."

The woman glanced at him, longer this time, then abruptly opened the door to a room in front of him, "In here," she ushered him through—as Harry had predicted, the crying sound suddenly became louder. The woman shot the infant a scowl, "It's about time for his feeding," she grumbled, "See if you can't quiet him down while I get a bottle."

Harry nodded in acquiesce and approached the baby's crib with a small smile. He leaned over the edge and peered inside. Naruto's scarred cheeks were red and wet from crying, and his watery eyes took a moment to find Harry. His crying knocked down a notch almost immediately, and chubby arms reached for the air in response to the familiar face.

Harry's smile widened as he reached down and picked the baby up, "Sorry I haven't visited in a while, Naruto-chan," he apologized, "Classes started again and I have a lot of homework." He made a face, "Tenzou thinks we're going to war with the Cloud now, and that's why we have to do so much extra work on Lightning chakra, and stuff."

The woman entered again a minute later and seemed surprised that Naruto's crying had dulled to a quiet whine. She frowned at the pair and Harry got the distinct impression of disapproval. He fidgeted nervously, causing the baby to whine a little more.

The woman held out her arms, "Give him to me—I've got to feed him now."

"... I can do it," Harry offered uncertainly, "If you want..."

The woman raised an eyebrow and gave no sign of giving in to his request. Reluctantly, Harry handed the infant over.

"Um..." he started again uncertainly as Naruto began sucking greedily at his bottle.

"You can go now," the woman said crisply.

"Oh... okay," Harry agreed awkwardly, looking back at Naruto once more before taking his leave.

He sighed as he closed the door behind him, safe outside of the oppressive atmosphere of that house. He made a face—how could any of Kushina's friends really be that crabby? Had they really been friends? Or maybe it was really only her husband that was friends with Kushina, he reasoned, since they were on the same team.

With a slight shake of his head, Harry headed home—he still had a lot of reading he needed to do before Monday. He'd been excited, because with the month they'd had off, and all the chaos and destruction caused by the attack, they were no longer required to turn in their old homework, so he was suddenly caught up. The new teachers had been quick to pile new homework on, though, so even with that slight relief, he was already struggling to keep up.

* * *

Kakashi wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but the fast pace of assassinations and murders he was assigned wasn't exactly what he'd imagined.

He'd known the kind of work ANBU does, and he'd known that with a shortage of numbers he'd probably be very busy for quite some time. What he hadn't expected was how different it felt to assassinate unsuspecting targets as compared to killing an enemy in the midst of battle.

Even after his first kill, he'd never felt guilty before. It had always been them or him. His enemies had been shinobi who knew exactly what they were getting into.

He wasn't sure if it could be called guilt, what he was feeling now, as he sluggishly headed home after another kill, but it wasn't a particularly pleasant feeling. The last thing he saw when he killed a target was their eyes—staring at him as they slowly glazed over.

Kakashi thought that maybe he should make sure not to look at their eyes anymore, and maybe that would get rid of the strange feeling.

He let himself into his apartment and could only blink at the excited voice that greeted him.

"Kakashi-niisan!" Harry exclaimed, scrambling up from a pile of books and papers, hopeful eyes turned towards them.

The guilt—if that's what it was—only increased at the sight of him. Harry probably wouldn't approve if he knew what he was doing. Not that he needed the approval of a seven-year-old. He was only doing it because this is what the village needed.

He wasn't really aware of his feet leading him across the room to collapse on a well-worn couch. He was aware of Harry's eyes following him the entire way, though, and when Harry joined him on the couch a few seconds later.

"Kakashi-niisan...?" The boy's voice had turned uncertain.

"Hey," Kakashi grunted in reply—he'd stuffed his mask in his pouch while he'd been at the Memorial Stone, and doubted his brother knew what his new uniform stood for.

"... Are you okay?" Harry asked carefully.

"... Yes," Kakashi replied eventually. He wasn't sure if he was, but he wasn't going to tell Harry anything else, either.

"Oh," Harry said meekly, glancing suspiciously at the older boy out of the corner of his eye.

Kakashi ignored the look and glanced down at Harry's books, instead, "What are you working on?"

Harry followed his gaze and sighed, "We've been learning about counters to Lightning Jutsu," he supplied, "Tenzou says it's because we're going to war with the Cloud, and there's a lot of Lightning types there."

Kakashi wondered where Tenzou got his information, because he was sure the border skirmishes weren't common knowledge, yet.

When the older boy didn't respond, Harry changed the subject, "Tenzou has his own apartment, you know," he told him, "Sandaime pays for it and it's only one room, but it's so cool! He's got a little kitchen place with a sink and a little fridge, and he's got his bed in the same room so if he gets hungry in the middle of the night, his food's right there with him."

Kakashi stared at the seven-year-old as he talked, wondering why that tight ball of emotion that had been growing inside of him ever since his first assassination felt like it was shrinking.

Harry, oblivious to the older boy's thoughts, continued, "Naruto moved, too," he explained, "But I think Noriko-san is kind of creepy... She says that she knew Kushina-san from before, but I don't think they were really friends, because Noriko-san isn't very nice... Well, she takes care of Naruto, so I guess she's a little nice," he amended, "But she always looks at me strangely when I go to visit him."

Something about the light chatter made the events of the last few weeks seem very far away. Kakashi knew it didn't make any sense, but he began to relax in a way he hadn't since before the attack—almost two months ago, now.

"Hey," Kakashi started when the boy stopped talking.

Harry looked up at him quickly, a curious expression on his face.

Kakashi hesitated uncertainly, trying to think of something to say, "... Want to go to the training grounds?" He asked before he could stop himself. He cringed slightly beneath his fabric mask—what a lame thing to ask.

Harry continued to stare at him and Kakashi tried not to fidget under his gaze.

"You can show me how much you improved," the older boy offered, "And I'll teach you that 360-throw like I promised."

The seven-year-old looked reluctantly at his books before turning back to him with a grin. "Yeah!" He exclaimed, "Let's go! I'll go get my stuff!"

Kakashi smiled slightly at the boy's exuberance, and headed into his own room to get changed.

Harry couldn't keep from grinning to himself as he tied on his weapon pouch, because Kakashi _wanted_ to do something with him. Like _real_ brothers. He wasn't sure if they'd ever be a normal family, but he decided that was okay, because this was the only family he had.


	26. Sequel Preview

A Personal Matter

_R. Winters_

This chapter is a preview/parody of the sequel to _A Personal Matter_. There are no spoilers for the sequel, this is just something fun you can read before heading over to that, if you want. To find the sequel, simply click on my profile and scroll down to _Sphere of Influence_. I hope you enjoy the parody; see you at the sequel!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter. Some of the events mentioned in the following text may be reminiscent of various crossovers out there… No offense is intended, this preview is a parody of several clichés out there (and some things I just thought would be funny), all of which are pulled off much better in a serious setting.

And just so you don't miss it, this is a gag chapter, none of the following actually occurs in my story (thus all the "doesn't"s, "aren't"s and "isn't"s). Thank you.

Sphere of Influence Preview/Parody

In a world where Harry doesn't tragically become left-handed…

"_Go ahead, Harii," the Sandaime encouraged, waving a hand towards the large bird perched on the back of his chair, "It will let you take the letter."_

_The ten-year-old eyed the sharp talons warily and reluctantly reached for the paper tied to the Phoenix's leg. His fingers closed around the rough envelope and he pulled back, only to freeze as a sharp beak encircled his wrist._

_For a second all he could do was stare into the bird's eyes in surprise. Fawkes stared back with wide, watery eyes._

"_Aaaaauuuuugh!" Harry screamed as the pain set in—he struggled wildly against the hold the bird had on his arm, shaking it and pulling as hard as he could in an attempt to get it loose._

_Fawkes stubbornly held tightly to his prey, unwilling to relent after having endured such a long flight to reach Konoha._

"_Harii, I don't think you should—" Kakashi started, only to fall silent when Harry suddenly fell backwards. His single dark eye stared dully at the scene that didn't seem to want to sink in._

"_A-a-aaaaaaaaauuuhhhh!" Harry screeched, breaking the momentary silence and staring at his right hand in horror, as one might when one's right hand is clamped in the beak of a giant bird of prey and one's right arm is spraying blood in its stead._

* * *

In a world where Sarutobi and Dumbledore aren't old chums…

"_Sarutobi!" Harry gaped in surprise at the delighted exclamation the old man released, "It's been such a long time!"_

"_Nearly five years, I think," the Sandaime agreed amiably, "Far too long, my old friend."_

"_And here's young Harry," Dumbledore said happily, turning from the Hokage to the young white-haired boy beside him, "It's good to see you again, my boy, you seem much saner this time."_

"_Wha?" Harry got out intelligibly._

"_Never mind," the wizard excused, "Come, Sarutobi, I'll give you a tour of my wonderful castle!"_

"_Ah, yes, Hogwash or whatever it is," Sarutobi chirped, "You always tell such strange stories of it, I've been looking forward to seeing it for years."_

_The young Hatake stared as the two men walked off, arm in arm, apparently having forgotten his presence. His eyes followed them until they were out of sight, then he frowned, crossing his arms over his chest._

"_I thought __I__ was supposed to be the hero in this story," he grumbled, turning on his heel, "Whatever. If they're going to ignore me, I'm just going home. I wonder if Tenzou has any of that Nigiri Toro left…"_

* * *

In a world where Harry isn't stuck with any particular element…

_The eleven-year-old pursed his lips, staring unhappily at the object on his desk. Reluctantly, he raised his hand, "McGonagall-sensei," he called out grudgingly, "It happened again!"_

_The stern-faced woman made her way over to where he was sitting with an exasperated sigh, "Mr. Potter, this is becoming completely ridiculous. The exercise it to turn a matchstick into a needle—it isn't a difficult task."_

"_I know," the boy said miserably, "But every time I try, this is just how it comes out!" He gestured helplessly at the slowly melting block of ice on his desk top._

* * *

In a world where Kakashi doesn't know everything…

"_That's all?" The older teen questioned with a raised eyebrow, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"_

_Harry opened his mouth to reply, but Kakashi was already talking again._

"_The reason you keep getting ice every time you use magic is because you're an Elemental," the elder Hatake explained, pulling out a large, dusty book, "See? It says so right here in this ancient book written by the Centaurs more than 15,000 years ago. It's common knowledge, otouto."_

_Harry looked on curiously as his brother opened the heavy tome to about two-thirds of the way through. The Jounin then turned the book so Harry could see the entry he'd indicated._

"_Harry Potter is an Ice Elemental," Harry read before giving his brother an incredulous look, "Is this a joke?!"_

_The older boy nodded in an exasperated way, "I know, I know, but it seems the Centaurs didn't realize you'd be named Hatake Harii, instead." He shrugged, "Everyone makes mistakes, Harii."_

* * *

In a world where leaving your village for seven years isn't considered a fair trade for useless knowledge…

"_I insist you go to Hogwarts, Harii-kun," the Hokage said, "We'll treat it as a mission."_

_The Genin frowned moodily, "Fine… how long do I have to go for?"_

"_Oh, it's not long at all," the Sandaime assured him, "Nine and a half months out of the year for seven years—that's not so bad."_

_Harry gaped at the man incredulously, "Seven years?!"_

"_Well… there are an awful lot of swishy motions you need to learn to make, Harii," the Hokage reasoned._

"_Hokage-sama," Kakashi started unhappily, "Seven years is kind of extreme, isn't it? If he stayed here, he could already become a Jounin in that time."_

"_True…" The Hokage agreed reluctantly, "But if he goes to Hogwarts he will learn about magic. No one else in the Shinobi Countries knows about magic."_

"_But for seven years?!" Harry exclaimed, "What kind of magic will I be learning?"_

"_Very useful stuff," the Hokage assured him, "Things like… washing dishes and transporting from one place to another instantaneously."_

"… _You mean sort of like the Body Flicker Technique?" Kakashi asked dryly._

"_Sort of," the Hokage agreed, "But with a loud pop instead of smoke."_

"…" _The two Hatake brothers exchanged dry looks._

* * *

In a world where canon Naruto characters aren't thrown in just for the heck of it…

"_Tenzou, why are you here?" Harry asked in surprise._

"_It's Christmas, idiot," Tenzou replied, "We couldn't let you be all by yourself for Christmas!"_

"… _But… we've never celebrated Christmas before," Harry pointed out uncertainly._

_Tenzou rolled his eyes, "Don't question the whims of the author!" He snapped, rubbing his hands up and down on his arms, "Now can we go inside? It's freezing out here!"_

"_Uh… yeah, sure," Harry agreed, turning to lead the way through the large castle doors._

"_Oh, and before I forget, Naruto, Itachi, Sasuke, and Shikamaru should be arriving soon, too," Tenzou said._

"… _Who?" Harry asked in bemusement._

"_And Asuma, Kurenai, Genma, and Raido, probably," Tenzou continued obliviously._

"…"

"_I think I heard Iruka and that Morino guy might be coming, too," Tenzou mused._

"…"

"_Harii!" A delighted voice exclaimed suddenly, "And Tenzou, too! I didn't know you guys were here!"_

_The two boys turned with wide eyes to see a silvery ghost floating into the room._

"_Sensei?!" Harry cried in surprise, "How… what… ?!"_

"_Huh," Tenzou said, "That's weird, isn't it? So you came all the way here to become a ghost after you died, Yondaime-sama?"_

_The ghost nodded its spiky head, "Of course!"_

* * *

In a world… where none of that happens… Orodruin Production brings you…

**_Sphere of Influence_**

Check out the actual story to see what actually happens.


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